File Photo: Randy George Army chief of staff. AP
“The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Earlier Thursday, sources indicated to CBS that Hegseth is seeking a new Army chief who will better align with President Donald Trump’s vision and plans for "force transformation."
A senior Defense Department official had told CBS News, "We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army."
George, a West Point graduate and a career infantry officer, is a veteran of the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was confirmed by the US Senate as Army Chief of Staff for the customary four-year term under former President Joe Biden in 2023.
The Army Chief of Staff (CSA) in the US is a four-star general responsible for leading the Army Staff, as well as planning, organizing, training, and equipping the Army to meet national defense requirements.
The ouster of George came a day after President Trump threatened in a speech to the nation to escalate the US-Israel war on Iran by widening airstrikes to target power plants and other civilian infrastructures in the country.
It also comes as Trump continues to weigh an option to send thousands of US Marines and airborne units, currently being deployed to the Persian Gulf, into ground combat in attempts to seize the Iranian oil hub of Kharg Island or search for stockpiles of enriched uranium.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that three in four Americans, who oppose the war on Iran by a 60 percent margin, oppose sending ground troops to fight in the war with Iran.
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