US Army chief of staff fired by Hegseth, sources say

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Army Chief of Staff Randy George along with two additional senior generals.

Hegseth removed General David Hodne, commander of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, a key four-star role focused on modernization and doctrine and Major General William Green, head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps.

George, who had more than a year remaining in his four-year term, was informed of his immediate retirement on Thursday. The Pentagon issued a brief statement thanking him for his decades of service and wishing him well.

The simultaneous dismissals mark the latest escalation in Hegseth’s purge of the Army’s top leadership ranks.

The move comes as the U.S. military conducts ongoing strikes against Iran and deploys thousands of soldiers, including elite 82nd Airborne Division troops, to the Middle East for potential ground operations.

Firing a general during active wartime is nearly without precedent.

Senior Army leadership learned of George’s removal at the same moment it was made public. General Christopher LaNeve, Hegseth’s former military aide and the Army vice chief of staff, will assume the role in an acting capacity.

The department provided no explanation for the firings.