Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced out the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, who will retire immediately, a Pentagon official confirmed to The Hill on Thursday.
"The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement," Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell, said in a statement about George, who served as the Army's 41st chief of staff.
The Army didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.
Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is currently the Army's vice chief of staff, will be the service's acting chief of staff, according to a Pentagon official.
"General LaNeve — a generational leader — will help ensure the Army revives the warrior ethos, rebuilds for the modern battlefield and deters our enemies around the world," Hegseth said of LaNeve in January.
George began his tenure as chief of staff, normally a four-year post, in September 2023 after being nominated by former President Biden and confirmed by the Senate. George is a career infantry officer who graduated from West Point.
George's ouster marks another removal of senior military officers by Hegseth since he took the helm at the Pentagon. The defense secretary has fired over a dozen senior military officers, including Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife.
The removal of George marks another instance of tension between Hegseth and the Army's top echelon. The Pentagon chief ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove one of his top advisers, Col. David Butler, in February.
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