Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has asked General Randy George to step down as chief of staff of the US Army, a US official said on Thursday.&nbsp;The official confirmed a report from US broadcaster CBS that said George had been asked to take immediate retirement.&nbsp;The reason for the request was not immediately known, but CBS quoted a source as saying Hegseth wanted someone who would implement his and Trump&#39;s vision for the Army. The Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs, Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell shared a statement on X on Friday which was also re-posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. &nbsp; Official statement&nbsp;The statement read: &quot;General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.&quot; &quot;The Department of War is grateful for General George&rsquo;s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,&quot; the statement added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2039812664902271107&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=8eaea74e018113b61684a8eb986d138a2c2047a7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>George is the latest senior officer to be ousted during Donald Trump&#39;s second term, and his removal as the top Army officer comes with the United States engaged in a major war with Iran that the president has indicated could last for several more weeks.&nbsp;During a nearly four-decade military career, George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and also served in positions including vice chief of staff of the Army and senior military assistant to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin during Joe Biden&#39;s term as president.&nbsp;Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles &quot;CQ&quot; Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025.&nbsp;Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.&nbsp;The chief of staff of the Air Force also announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term, while the head of US Southern Command retired a year into his tenure.&nbsp;Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.

Americas

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asks General Randy George to step down as US Army chief of staff; George’s removal follows Trump’s second-term military shake-up amid the war with Iran, with reasons for retirement unclear.

Articles tagged with "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth"

Hegseth ousts US army chief amid Iran conflict

Hegseth ousts US army chief amid Iran conflict