Defense Secretary Hegseth Fires Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George One Day After He Requested a Meeting

Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, was fired on April 2, 2026, one day after requesting an in-person meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. S.

And defense official. He was interrupted during a meeting with senior directors on April 2 when told Hegseth was trying to reach him. Hegseth delivered the news in a curt, direct call with little explanation, the defense official said.

Moments later, CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs reported the ouster publicly. George reconvened his staff roughly 30 minutes after the call and delivered the news matter-of-factly. By the next morning, George’s office had been emptied.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was out of town at the time of the firing. Hegseth had previously blocked four colonels from promotion to one-star general and removed Army vice chief of staff Gen. James Mingus weeks earlier.

Gen. Chris LaNeve replaced Mingus and became acting chief of staff after George’s departure. Hegseth has fired more than two dozen senior officers during his tenure. He also pushed out Navy Secretary John Phelan weeks after George’s forced retirement.

Hung Cao, previously undersecretary of the Navy, is now acting secretary of the Navy. George served as an aide to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration and commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has 42 years of service and received a Purple Heart.

Driscoll said during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing last month: “There is no person that has more respect for Gen. ” Some troops had to sign nondisclosure agreements to learn about operations under Hegseth, and polygraph tests became commonplace.

Hegseth kept key military planners at arm’s length in the lead-up to the war with Iran, including logistics for the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group operating off Venezuela. Hegseth has prioritized production of “war videos” for the White House.

U.S. Central Command has repeatedly questioned deployed service members for leaks. Driscoll and Vice President JD Vance were classmates at Yale Law School and have remained close friends.