United States secretary of war Pete Hegseth has ousted army chief of staff general Randy George, forcing his immediate retirement amid the ongoing war tensions with Iran, according to US officials cited by CBS News. The move, confirmed by the Pentagon on Thursday, comes as the administration pushes to install military leadership aligned with President Donald Trump’s wartime strategy.Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st chief of staff of the army, effective immediately.” Without providing any further clarification on the sudden move, he added that the department was grateful for his “decades of service to our nation”.The move comes as the US military ramps up its presence in the Middle East and continues operations against Iran.A senior defence department official said, “We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army,” CBS News reported. Another source said the administration was seeking a commander who “will implement President Trump and Hegseth’s vision for the Army.”General Christopher LaNeve, the current vice chief of staff, has been appointed acting Army chief. LaNeve, a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and a past military aide to Hegseth, was described by Parnell as “a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience” who is “completely trusted by Secretary Hegseth to carry out the vision of this administration without fault.”The abrupt leadership change forms part of a wider shake-up of the US military hierarchy under Hegseth. He has already dismissed more than a dozen senior officers, including chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general CQ Brown and the chief of naval operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti.The restructuring coincides with heightened military activity linked to the Iran conflict, although reports suggested that George’s removal was not connected to a recent helicopter controversy. In that incident, Hegseth intervened in an army disciplinary case involving an aircrew that flew near a celebrity’s residence, posting on social media, “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”Just days before his removal, George had been at West Point offering “experience-driven guidance with cadets preparing to lead” during a scheduled visit.
