Newsman: The Trump administration has fired army chief of staff General Randy George and two other senior figures, officials said on Friday, in a surprise shake-up just as US forces are locked in a major war against Iran.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted a statement on X late Thursday that George “will be retiring from his position… effective immediately.”
The army’s vice chief of staff General Christopher LaNeve will take over as acting chief of staff, CBS reported.
During a nearly four-decade military career, George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and also served in positions including vice chief of staff of the army and senior military assistant to then-defense secretary Lloyd Austin during Joe Biden’s term as president.
President Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025, shortly after taking office.
Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.
The chief of staff of the Air Force also announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term, while the head of US Southern Command retired a year into his tenure.
Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.
