Hegseth fires US Army chief of staff, shaking up Pentagon amid Iran war

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — 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 most senior ranks.

Even as Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has moved quickly to reshape the department, firing a general during wartime is nearly without precedent.

The Pentagon confirmed that George, who had more than a year left of his term, “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”

The Pentagon said in a statement it was grateful for George’s decades of service. “We wish him well in his retirement,” it said.

Two of the officials, speaking on the 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.

The department did not give a reason for George’s departure, which comes as the US military — of which the Army is the land warfare arm — builds up its forces in the Middle East while carrying out operations against Iran.

The US strikes in the region are largely being carried out by the Navy and Air Force, although US Army soldiers have been dispatched to the Middle East for air defense systems. The Army is the largest branch of the US military, with about 450,000 active-duty soldiers.

Thousands of soldiers from the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have also started arriving in the Middle East, potentially for ground operations in Iran.

Meanwhile, The Atlantic reported Thursday that there are discussions about FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving the Trump administration, citing unnamed people familiar with White House plans.

The timing is uncertain and US President Donald Trump has not yet made up his mind, the Atlantic reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Latest upheaval at Pentagon

There had been no public signs of friction between Hegseth and George, even as Hegseth pursued controversial moves such as firing the Army’s top lawyer and arranging 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 were flying attack helicopters near ‌singer Kid Rock’s house, in an apparent show of support for the vocal Trump backer.

CBS News, which first reported the dismissal, said it was not related to the Kid Rock incident.

One of the officials said Hegseth’s former military aide and Army vice chief of staff, General Christopher LaNeve, will take over George’s role in an acting capacity.

Another of the officials added that senior Army leadership learned about George’s firing at the same time it was made public.

George, an infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was confirmed to the top Army post in 2023. Terms in that role usually run for four years.

Before holding the top job, George was the vice chief of the Army and, before that, the senior military adviser to then-defense secretary Lloyd Austin.

He was considered close to Driscoll. The two worked together to take on large defense companies in the Army’s drive to speed up weapons development and drive down costs.

George’s removal adds to recent upheaval at all levels of leadership at the Pentagon, including the firing last year of the previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, as well as the chief of naval operations and Air Force vice chief of staff.

Randy George’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.