Pentagon shake-up as Hegseth ousts army chief amid Iran conflict

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has abruptly forced Army Chief of Staff General Randy George into immediate retirement amid the ongoing war with Iran, multiple US media outlets reported on Friday.

The outlets described the move as one of the most consequential Pentagon leadership upheavals in decades.

The decision also included the removal of General David Hodne, head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, chief of the Army Chaplain Corps, in actions first reported by The Washington Post and later confirmed by CBS News and other organisations.

The ouster cuts short General George’s tenure roughly one and a half years into what is typically a four-year term and comes as US forces enter the fifth week of active operations against Iran.

CBS News quoted US defence officials as saying that Hegseth wanted leadership more closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s and his own vision for the Army.

George’s removal breaks with tradition and underscores growing tensions within the Pentagon. A career infantry officer and West Point graduate, he was nominated by then-President Joe Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate to lead the Army.

His early retirement follows a broader pattern under Hegseth, who has dismissed or sidelined more than a dozen senior officers across the services, including top figures in the Air Force and Navy. Critics argue that such moves risk undermining the stability of military leadership during a major conflict.

Accounts by CNN and Reuters pointed to internal friction, noting that George worked closely with Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and had resisted some of Hegseth’s personnel interventions.

The New York Times reported that tensions escalated over a promotion list after George and Driscoll declined to remove four minority and female officers at Hegseth’s request, citing their qualifications and service records.

Acting Army leadership will now fall to Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the current vice chief of staff and a former aide to Hegseth. His appointment is widely seen as signalling a shift toward leadership more closely aligned with the administration’s strategic agenda.

LaNeve’s rapid rise — from commanding the 82nd Airborne Division to assuming the Army’s top uniformed post in an acting capacity — has fuelled debate over whether political alignment is playing a growing role in senior military appointments.

Strategic and operational risks loom as the Iran war intensifies. Media reports quoted military analysts warning that abrupt changes at the top of the Army during active combat could disrupt planning, coordination with joint and allied forces, and long-term readiness.

CNN noted that the Pentagon has offered no official explanation linking the leadership shift to battlefield developments, leaving uncertainty over how the change may affect troop deployments, logistics and inter-service cooperation.

Domestically, the shake-up has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and defence experts who question whether frequent turnover at the highest levels could weaken civilian-military trust and complicate the prosecution of the Iran campaign. Critics argue that removing senior officers in wartime risks politicising the force at a moment when unified command and professional judgment are critical.

Supporters of Hegseth’s action counter that aligning senior leadership with the administration’s strategic objectives — including the possibility of expanded ground operations — could inject new momentum into a campaign that has faced setbacks and growing regional resistance.

Multiple US outlets have portrayed Gen. George’s removal as both a personal rebuke and a broader institutional realignment at the Pentagon, with potential consequences for how the Army conducts the war, works with allies, and navigates political pressures from the White House and Congress as the conflict with Iran enters a potentially more decisive phase.