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WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant leadership shake-up, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed the Army’s highest-ranking officer along with two other generals, as confirmed by the Pentagon on Thursday. The announcement did not specify reasons for these removals amidst the ongoing conflict with Iran.
General Randy George has been relieved from his duties as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, effective immediately, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. George, who was appointed to the role in August 2023 under the Biden administration, was expected to serve a standard four-year term.
The dismissal, initially reported by CBS News, is part of a broader pattern of leadership changes under Hegseth, who has dismissed over a dozen senior military officials since assuming his position last year. The Pentagon has not elaborated on the rationale behind George’s removal, which occurs at a time when U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran are ongoing, with no definitive end date provided by President Donald Trump.
Alongside George, Army General David Hodne and Army Major General William Green have also been relieved of their positions. A Pentagon insider, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of these changes, confirmed these departures but did not offer explanations.
General who rose rapidly under Hegseth will fill in
General Christopher LaNeve is set to assume the role of acting Army chief of staff, as stated by the Pentagon official. Previously serving as Hegseth’s senior military aide, LaNeve was unexpectedly nominated by Trump last October to become the Army’s vice chief of staff. His swift ascent marks a notable career trajectory, having been a two-star general just two years ago.
He would take over for George, who is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.
George made it through the initial round of firings under the Trump administration in February 2025, when Hegseth removed top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. Trump also fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts.
Among those departures was George’s deputy, Gen. James Mingus, who was vice chief of staff of the Army for less than two years. LaNeve was nominated to that post after earlier being plucked from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job to be Hegseth’s top military aide.
A spokesman for George could not be reached for comment.
Two other Army generals are fired
Of the other generals who were fired, Hodne had been head of the Army Transformation and Training Command, a unit that was only stood up in December as part of George’s effort to modernize the Army and amid Hegseth’s push to reduce the number of general officers in the military.
Green had been the Army’s chief of chaplains. Hegseth announced two major reforms to the military’s chaplain corps a little over a week ago.
In a video message last week, Hegseth said he wanted chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic “self-help and self-care.” In recent years, the military has become increasingly dependent on chaplains to help address the growing numbers of troops in mental health distress. Hegseth also said chaplains would no longer wear their rank on their uniform but instead would be identified by religious insignia.
The changes come as Iran war grinds on
The leadership shakeup comes as Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division are heading to the Middle East along with thousands of Marines and other assets. The Trump administration has avoided questions about whether or not the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran.
In a prime-time address Wednesday about the war, Trump offered no end date for the conflict and few details on his strategy going forward but did forecast more military action.
“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said of Iran, before adding that “we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.”
Hegseth echoed that sentiment after the speech, with a post on social media that simply read, “Back to the Stone Age.”
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on X that Trump’s comment “reflects ignorance, not strength,” noting that Iran’s civilization spans over 7,000 years.