- Hegseth is rapidly reshaping Pentagon leadership.
- No official reason has been given for George's dismissal.
- General LaNeve will serve as acting head of the Army.
WASHINGTON: US Army Chief of Staff Randy George was fired on Thursday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, three US defense officials told Reuters, in the latest purge among the Pentagon's top ranks.
Even as Hegseth, a former fox news host, has moved quickly to reshape the department, firing a general during wartime is almost unprecedented.
The Pentagon confirmed that George, who had more than a year left in his term, “will retire from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”
The Pentagon said in a statement that it was grateful for George's decades of service. “We wish him the best in his retirement,” it said.
Two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth also fired Gen. David Hodne, who heads the Army Training and Transformation Command, and Maj. Gen. William Green, head of the Army Chaplain Corps.
The department did not give a reason for George's departure, which comes as the U.S. military builds up its forces in the Middle East while conducting operations against Iran.
US attacks in the region are largely carried out by the Navy and Air Force, although US Army soldiers have been sent to the Middle East for air defense systems. The Army is the largest branch of the US military, with around 450,000 soldiers on active duty.
Thousands of soldiers from the US military's elite 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, potentially for ground operations in Iran.
The latest turmoil at the Pentagon
There were no public signs of friction between Hegseth and George, even as Hegseth took controversial steps such as firing the Army's top lawyer and organizing a massive military parade to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, which coincided with Trump's birthday.
Earlier this week, Hegseth also reversed an Army decision to investigate Army pilots who flew attack helicopters near singer Kid Rock's home, in an apparent show of support for the vocal Trump supporter.
CBS Newswho first reported the firing, said it was unrelated to the Kid Rock incident.
One of the officials said Hegseth's former military aide and Army deputy chief of staff, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, will take over George's role in an acting capacity.
Another official added that the military's top brass learned of George's firing at the same time it became public.
George, an infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was confirmed to the Army's top job in 2023. Terms in that position typically last four years.
Before taking the top job, George was deputy chief of the Army and, before that, senior military adviser to then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
He was considered close to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. The two worked together to take on large defense companies in the Army's effort to speed up weapons development and reduce costs.
George's ouster adds to recent turmoil at all levels of Pentagon leadership, including the firing last year of the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, as well as the chief of naval operations and vice chief of staff of the Air Force.
George's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
