Hegseth asks the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down while US wages war against Iran

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file) 2026-04-02T20:52:40Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday, as the United States wages a war against Iran. A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that George has been asked to take early retirement from the post of Army chief of staff, which he has held since August 2023. The ouster of George is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he first took office last year. CBS News was first to report the ouster. George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, before taking on top leadership roles in the Army. George survived the initial round of firings last February, which saw the removal of top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Silfe, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force, by Hegseth. President Donald Trump also fired Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same time. Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts. #ap-readmore-embed { margin: 28px 0; text-align: center; position: relative; z-index: 2; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn { appearance: none; -webkit-appearance: none; border: 0; background: #000; color: #fff; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 10px; padding: 14px 22px; border-radius: 999px; font-family: inherit, "AP Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 1; box-shadow: 0 10px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.12); transition: transform 120ms ease, box-shadow 120ms ease, opacity 120ms ease; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; position: relative; z-index: 3; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:hover { transform: translateY(-1px); box-shadow: 0 14px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.16); } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:active { transform: translateY(0); box-shadow: 0 10px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.12); opacity: 0.95; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:focus-visible { outline: 3px solid rgba(228, 0, 43, 0.35); outline-offset: 3px; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-icon { width: 10px; height: 10px; border-right: 2px solid currentColor; border-bottom: 2px solid currentColor; transform: rotate(45deg); margin-top: -2px; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-fade { display: none; height: 48px; margin-top: -48px; pointer-events: none; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255,0), rgba(255,255,255,1)); } @media (min-width: 768px) { #ap-readmore-embed { display: none !important; } } Read More (function () { var EMBED_ID = "ap-readmore-embed"; var BTN_ID = "apReadMoreBtn"; var FADE_ID = "apReadMoreFade"; var STOP_SELECTOR = ".Page-below"; var SIGN_IN_GATE_SELECTOR = ".sign-in-gate-content"; var HIDDEN_ATTR = "data-ap-readmore-hidden"; function ready(fn) { if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", fn); } else { fn(); } } function isElementNode(n) { return n && n.nodeType === 1; } function cancelEvent(e) { if (!e) return; if (typeof e.preventDefault === "function") e.preventDefault(); if (typeof e.stopPropagation === "function") e.stopPropagation(); if (typeof e.stopImmediatePropagation === "function") e.stopImmediatePropagation(); e.cancelBubble = true; e.returnValue = false; } ready(function () { var embed = document.getElementById(EMBED_ID); var btn = document.getElementById(BTN_ID); var fade = document.getElementById(FADE_ID); if (!embed || !btn) return; var signInGate = document.querySelector(SIGN_IN_GATE_SELECTOR); if (signInGate) { embed.innerHTML = ''; return; } var isMobile = window.matchMedia("(max-width: 767px)").matches; if (!isMobile) return; var stopEl = document.querySelector(STOP_SELECTOR); if (!stopEl) return; var rootCandidates = [ embed.closest(".Page"), embed.closest("article"), embed.closest("main"), document.body ].filter(Boolean); var root = rootCandidates.find(function (c) { return c.contains(stopEl); }) || document.body; var all = root.getElementsByTagName("*"); var hidden = []; for (var i = 0; i Among these departures was George’s deputy, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. James Mingus, who was in the post for less than two years when Trump suddenly nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve for the position. LaNeve was then serving as Hegseth’s top military aide, having been plucked for that post from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job.