New Delhi: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fired Chief of Staff General Randy George on Thursday, amid escalating tensions with senior Army officials over military appointments, the New York Times reported.
At the centre of the dispute was Hegseth’s decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to one-star general which included two Black officers and two women as part of a larger promotion list dominated by white men. Senior officials raised concerns that the move risked appearing discriminatory though no formal justification was publicly detailed.
Hegseth had reportedly pressed both General George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for months to remove the officers from the list. Both resisted, citing their strong service records. Two weeks ago, General George sought a meeting with Hegseth to address the issue and broader concerns about interference in Army personnel matters, but the request was declined.
He is expected to be replaced by General Christopher LaNeve, who previously served as Hegseth’s senior military assistant.
Hegseth also removed General David M. Hodne, head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green Jr., the Army’s top chaplain.
General George, who took over as Army chief in 2023, had overseen a turnaround in one of the service’s worst recruitment crises by 2024 and was leading efforts to modernise the force, including accelerating the adoption of low-cost drones and weapons systems shaped by lessons from the war in Ukraine. Officials quoted in the report said he learned of his dismissal during a Thursday afternoon phone call from Hegseth.
The situation drew further attention after Laura Loomer, a far-right internet personality with ties to Hegseth and Trump, publicly suggested the Army chief’s removal was under consideration.
Earlier in February, Hegseth had forced the ouster of David Butler, a senior military adviser to Driscoll. Butler had served as a spokesman and media strategist for Driscoll and Gen. Randy George. Officials said Hegseth objected to his nomination for promotion to brigadier general for reasons that remain unclear.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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