US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Chief of Staff Randy George, three US defense officials told Reuters on Thursday. The development came as Hegseth decided to reshape the leadership of the Pentagon amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Reports now claim that General Christopher LaNeve will serve as the acting commander of the Army.
Randy George to ‘Retire’
The Pentagon confirmed that Randy George, who had more than a year left on his term, “will step down from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, effective immediately.”
The department did not give a reason for George’s departure, which comes as the US military builds up its forces in the Middle East as it conducts operations against Iran.
In a statement, the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked George for his service. “Since 1988, General George and his family have consistently answered the nation’s call with honor and sacrifice,” the Joint Staff said.
The full statement from the War Department read: “General Randy A. George will retire effective immediately as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,” the War Department said in a statement, without giving reasons for the general’s departure.
In an interview with Axios, a US official described the shooting during the war as “crazy”.
George, an infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was confirmed for the top Army post in 2023. The tenure in the role typically lasts four years.
Before holding the top post, George was Deputy Chief of Army Staff and previously Senior Military Adviser to then Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
He was considered close to Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. The two worked together to take over major defense companies in the military to speed up weapons development and cut costs.
Who is Christopher LaNeve, who is set to become the acting chief of the US military
One of the officials said that Hegseth’s former military aide and Army Deputy Chief of Staff, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, will take over the role of George in an acting capacity.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the BBC that LaNeve was a “war-tested leader with decades of operational experience, and Secretary Hegseth has every confidence in him to flawlessly execute the vision of this administration.”
LaNeve was appointed as Chief of Staff in February 2026 after James Mingus left the position early. Prior to that, LaNeve was Hegseth’s chief military aide, a role he had held since April 2025, the BBC reported.
LaNeve replaced Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, who Hegseth fired just months after he joined the Pentagon last January.
He reportedly held several other senior positions in the military, which he joined in 1990 from the University of Arizona.
In his 36 years of service, LaNeve led several teams, including the 8th Army in South Korea and the 82nd Airborne Division.
(With input from agencies and the BBC)
