Trump's army chief ousted by Hegseth as Iran war continues
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has asked the army's chief of staff, General Randy George, to step down and take immediate retirement
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon said on Thursday, as the United States continues to wage a war against Iran.
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A Pentagon official confirmed that General Randy George had been asked to take early retirement from the post he started in September 2023.
His removal is the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he first took office last year.
George, the 41st chief of staff of the US Army, is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also served as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.
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The role of chief of staff carries a four-year term, which means he would have left the post in 2027.
George survived the initial round of firings last February, which saw the removal of top military leaders, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and General Jim Silfe, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force, by Hegseth.
President Trump also fired General Charles “C.Q.” Brown, then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same time.
Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts.
It comes as President Trump said that Operation Epic Fury had achieved most of its operational goals and US forces could leave the region in the next two or three weeks, in an address to the nation on the state of the Iran war.