DAssistant Secretary Pete Hegseth fired a top Army officer, and the White House is discussing the possible departure of the Army secretary in what could be the biggest military shakeup in decades of wartime.
Hegseth asked Gen. Randy George, who was about halfway through his scheduled tenure as chief of staff, to step down and retire immediately, a Pentagon official told us. White House officials are also discussing the future of Defense Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President JD Vance, people familiar with the matter told us. A Pentagon official said Driscoll is expected to leave the department soon.
Hegseth and President Trump have repeatedly commented on the military’s performance in the war against Iran. But George’s position has proved difficult since Hegseth’s arrival at the Pentagon. The former Fox News anchor has fired senior officials who were associated with the previous administration or who supported diversity initiatives he dismissed as “woke shit.” Hegseth and Driscoll, both politically oriented Army veterans, have been at odds over the past year, current and former officials have said.
Still, the timing of George’s firing and the uncertainty over Driscoll’s future – on the 33rd day of hostilities against Iran – risk causing instability over the military’s largest service. About 50,000 troops and more than ten ships and submarines are now deployed in the Gulf region. Ground forces, including the Army, could play a larger role in the operation, which has so far focused on air and sea, as Trump considers incursions into Iran, including the possibility of seizing enriched uranium or Kharg Island, an Iranian oil export hub.
Members of the 82nd Air Force Division have been arriving in the region for the past week. Since the war began on February 28, 13 American service members have died. Both Hegseth and George had traveled to Dover Air Force Base, in Delaware, when the deceased returned home. The United States has spent billions on military-operated weapons to defend itself against Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks, leaving George—and now his successor—with the task of finding ways to restore the costly order.
Hegseth firing speed in the military is greater than that of any other Pentagon chief in the modern era, including during two decades of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since Hegseth’s arrival, the Pentagon has abruptly removed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest-ranking military officer), the top admiral of the US Navy, and the No. 2 general in the Air Force, as well as dozens of senior officers and military lawyers across the services. The defense chief has not given any detailed reasons for leaving. Hegseth spokesman Sean Parnell, in a statement, confirmed the CBS News report of George’s departure as “effective immediately.”
But Hegseth has repeatedly criticized senior service leaders for, in his view, not being loyal enough to Trump’s agenda and worrying too much about the legitimacy of the war, a position he has said is based on his experience as a member of the Army National Guard serving in Iraq. George’s firing came a day after Hegseth took the unusual step of rescinding the Army’s order for two Apache helicopter crews that were being investigated for a high-flying flight near the Nashville home of musician Kid Rock, a Trump supporter. “Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth wrote on X when he announced the move.
With the purge of the top ranks, many officials have concluded that those who speak out or question the administration risk losing their jobs. “Three years ago it would have been a big deal,” one former official told us, referring to George’s departure. “But Hegseth has already fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the chief of naval operations; you could say it’s a big deal he’s lasted so long.”
George, a native of Iowa who enlisted at age 18, graduated from West Point and became an infantry officer. He led troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as a top aide to Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense in the Biden administration, before the Senate confirmed him to lead the Army in September 2023 for what was expected to be a four-year term. After Trump’s return in 2025, George tried to intervene in the new administration, highlighting the steps taken by the military to modernize, its embrace of the tools of modern warfare, and its deep ties to the technology sector. But, officials have told us, he has long been a target of Hegseth.
One person familiar with the situation said the secretary may have fired George because Driscoll, along with his relationship with Vance, was well protected. Driscoll attended Yale Law School at the same time as Vance, and the two men have remained close. Yet Driscoll, too, is now in danger. At some point in the past year, Driscoll, whom the administration tapped to play a key role in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, has threatened to overshadow Hegseth. The Pentagon, in a statement that told us about Driscoll’s prospects, wrote: “All positions held by political appointees in the War Department are discretionary and serve at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary of War.
For much of the past year, Hegseth appeared to be on thin ice with White House officials, and Driscoll’s position seemed secure. But Hegseth has been a staunch supporter of the president, who appreciates his loyalty. And the Pentagon chief has overseen tactically successful military operations, including the June 2025 bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the January 2 raid to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Now he is overseeing the most difficult war between the United States and Israel and Iran.
Hegseth has said that the US military is repeatedly working ahead of schedule on its Iran plan, hitting thousands of targets. But the war effort has been dogged by a lack of clarity about its strategic goals, the stability of the Iranian regime, and the international economic shock of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said yesterday that the war will continue for another two or three weeks, a schedule that many analysts see as optimistic. The regime change that Trump said should follow the US attack now seems unlikely.
It was not immediately clear who Trump would nominate to replace George, although the general’s deputy, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve, is an ally of Hegseth who has risen through the ranks quickly during his tenure as secretary.
Ashley Parker contributed reporting to this story.
