Pentagon shake-up: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asks Army Chief Gen. Randy George to 'immediately' retire

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and immediately retire. As per reports, Hegseth wants a leader who will carry out the Army in line with President Trump and Hegseth’s vision. George, a career infantry officer and West Point graduate, previously served as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration, after a decades‑long military career. His service includes deployments in the first Gulf War and the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Typically, the Army chief of staff serves a four‑year term. George was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023, meaning his expected term would have lasted through 2027. The current vice chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who once served as Hegseth’s military aide, is likely to be considered as George’s successor. LaNeve previously served as commanding general of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from 2022 to 2023.

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On Thursday, the US Military Academy at West Point shared photos on social media of George during a visit, saying he “shared experience‑driven guidance with cadets preparing to lead.” According to his official biography on the Army’s website, George was commissioned as an infantry officer from West Point in 1988 and deployed in Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Before becoming Army chief of staff, he served as vice chief of staff from 2022 to 2023.

Hegseth has already removed more than a dozen senior military leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, and Defense Intelligence Agency head Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse. The move comes after Hegseth’s controversial X post overturning the suspension of Army aviators involved in a flight near Kid Rock’s home in Nashville last weekend.

After the Army announced the suspension and an administrative review, Hegseth wrote on his personal X account: “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.” One source told CBS News that Hegseth’s decision on George was not related to the helicopter incident.