Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed George’s retirement Thursday, writing on X, “General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation.”
CBS News first reported George’s ousting. A Defense Department official confirmed the accuracy of CBS News’ report.
Senior Army leadership was caught off guard by Thursday’s abrupt announcement, a US official told CNN — learning of George’s forced departure along with the rest of the Defense Department, when it was announced publicly.
George found out in a phone call from Hegseth on Thursday while he was in a meeting, a second US official said. He later spoke to his staff in-person about the announcement and his staff was “very stoic” when receiving the news, the official said.
Hegseth’s move comes a day after President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on the Iran war. In the speech, Trump signaled the US will intensify strikes on Iran, after earlier suggesting the US could be done with the war within two to three weeks.
As the Army Chief, George has worked closely with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll — a senior official close to the White House whom Hegseth has perceived as a threat and had a contentious relationship with at times.
The abrupt and public nature of the announcement of George’s immediate retirement, the first US official said, left little room for officials to argue against removing one of the joint chiefs amid ongoing conflict with Iran — particularly as the Army, under George, is deploying forces and is primarily responsible for providing crucial integrated air and missile defense capabilities to the joint force.
As the chief, George provided advice and guidance to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Hegseth regarding those capabilities.
“It doesn’t feel like a very thought-out decision,” the first US official said.
Hegseth also fired two other Army generals Thursday, the first official said — the chief of chaplains, Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., and the commander of Army Transformation and Training Command, Gen. David Hodne. Hegseth has ousted a number of other senior military officers during his tenure.
