Hegseth fires US Army chief of staff, sources say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday ousted U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George, three U.S. defense officials told Reuters, marking the latest shake-up in a Pentagon purge that has reached the military’s highest ranks.
By Idrees Ali and Phil StewartFriday April 3, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday ousted U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George, three U.S. defense officials told Reuters, marking the latest shake-up in a Pentagon purge that has reached the military’s highest ranks.
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Hegseth, the former Fox News host moving rapidly to remake the department, has been cutting through senior leadership with unusual speed. Removing a four-star general in wartime, however, is almost unheard of.
The Pentagon later confirmed that George, whose term still had more than a year to run, “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”
In a statement, the Pentagon thanked George for decades in uniform. “We wish him well in his retirement,” it said.
Two of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth has also fired General David Hodne, who leads the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps.
No explanation was offered for George’s removal, which comes as the U.S. military is reinforcing its presence in the Middle East while conducting operations against Iran.
The strikes in the region have been driven largely by the Navy and Air Force, though U.S. Army troops have been sent in to operate air defense systems. The Army, the largest branch of the U.S. military, has roughly 450,000 active-duty soldiers.
Thousands of troops from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, potentially for ground operations in Iran.
LATEST UPHEAVAL AT PENTAGON
Until now, there had been no visible sign of a rupture between Hegseth and George, even as Hegseth pressed ahead with contentious moves that included firing the Army’s top lawyer and organizing a huge military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary, which also fell on Trump’s birthday.
Just this week, Hegseth overturned an Army decision to investigate pilots who were flying attack helicopters near the home of singer Kid Rock, in what appeared to be a show of support for the outspoken Trump ally.
CBS News, which first reported the firing, said the move was not tied to the Kid Rock matter.
One official said Hegseth’s former military aide and Army vice chief of staff, General Christopher LaNeve, will serve as George’s acting successor.
Another official said Army senior leadership learned of George’s dismissal at the same moment it became public.George, an infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was confirmed to the Army’s top post in 2023. The job is typically a four-year appointment.
Before taking over as chief of staff, George served as vice chief of the Army and earlier was the senior military adviser to then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
He was widely viewed as close to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. The pair worked together in the Army’s effort to push major defense contractors, speed weapons development and reduce costs.
George’s departure deepens the upheaval across all levels of leadership at the Pentagon, following last year’s firing of the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, along with the chief of naval operations and the Air Force vice chief of staff.The office for George did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jasper Ward and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Christian Martinez and Edmund Klamann