US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George is retiring “effective immediately,” a Pentagon official announced Thursday amid reports War Secretary Pete Hegseth asked the high-ranking military officer to step down.
“The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X.
“We wish him well in his retirement,” he added.
George, 61, was nominated by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate for the Army chief of staff post in 2023. The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term.
Hegseth reportedly wanted someone in the role who would implement the vision he and President Trump have for the Army, according to CBS News.
“We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army,” a senior War Department official told the outlet.
George’s departure is the latest shakeup at the Pentagon under Hegseth.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, previously ousted Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison.
He also axed three key War Department aides — Pentagon senior adviser Dan Caldwell, former deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and former chief of staff to the deputy secretary of war Colin Carroll – earlier this year after a bureaucratic turf war, The Post previously reported.
George’s ouster also comes after Hegseth overruled the Army and lifted the suspension of two helicopter crews involved in a flyover stunt outside Kid Rock’s Tennessee home.
“No punishment. No Investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth wrote on X Tuesday, following an earlier report that several crew members had been suspended after Kid Rock’s post about the stunt went viral.
Hegseth’s decision to ask George to retire was not related to the helicopter incident, a source told CBS News.
