Army Chief of Staff Randy George to resign at Hegseth’s request
Pentagon officials told USA TODAY that Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top official, Gen. Randy George, to resign and retire.
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the U.S. Army’s top official, General Randy George, to resign from his post and retire immediately, according to Pentagon officials.
According to CBS News, George has been the Army Chief of Staff since 2023. According to CBS News, Hegseth wanted someone in the Army who could better implement his and President Donald Trump’s vision. George’s retirement was also reported by Reuters. The official confirmed to USA TODAY that the CBS report was accurate.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The Army referred USA TODAY to Hegseth’s office.
Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that General George will be retiring with immediate effect. “We are grateful for General George’s decades of service to our country and we wish him well in his retirement,” the Pentagon wrote.
Mr. George’s dismissal comes as the U.S. military engages in a war with Iran and increases its military presence, including parts of the Army, in the Middle East.
It also comes after Hegseth said in a social media post that a military investigation into the helicopter pilot who flew near the home of pro-Trump musician Kid Rock would be closed.
He wrote on March 31: “Thank you @KidRock. The @USAarmy pilot’s suspension has been lifted. No penalties or investigations. Carry on, patriots.”
Mr. Hegseth has fired a number of senior military personnel and generals, many of them women or black people, and some critics have questioned whether their race or gender contributed to their dismissal. The New York Times reported in late March that he blocked the promotion of two Black and two female Army officers to the rank of one-star general.
Mr. Hegseth fired several of his senior advisers last year for leaking information to the media.
George has over 40 years of military service. He was commissioned as an infantry officer from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988 and completed multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
