Pentagon removes Army chief as Iran war enters fifth week

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has forced Army Chief of Staff General Randy George into immediate retirement during the ongoing war with Iran, according to multiple US media outlets.

The move was described by those outlets as one of the most significant leadership changes at the Pentagon in decades. Reports said the decision also involved the removal of General David Hodne, who headed the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, chief of the Army Chaplain Corps. The Washington Post first reported the actions, which were later confirmed by CBS News and other organisations.

General George’s departure comes about one and a half years into what is usually a four-year term. It also comes as US forces enter the fifth week of active operations against Iran.

CBS News, citing US defence officials, reported that Hegseth wanted senior leadership that was more closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s and his own vision for the Army. George’s removal departs from established practice and highlights tensions within the Pentagon.

A career infantry officer and graduate of West Point, George was nominated in 2023 by then-president Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to lead the Army. His retirement is part of a broader pattern under Hegseth, who has dismissed or sidelined more than a dozen senior officers across the military services, including top officials in the Air Force and Navy.

Critics have argued that such decisions could weaken the stability of military leadership during a major conflict. CNN and Reuters reported internal friction, saying George had worked closely with Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and had pushed back against some of Hegseth’s personnel interventions.

The New York Times reported that tensions intensified 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 leadership of the Army will now pass to Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the current vice chief of staff and a former aide to Hegseth. His appointment has been widely viewed as a sign of a shift toward leadership more closely aligned with the administration’s strategic agenda.

LaNeve’s swift rise, from leading the 82nd Airborne Division to taking over the Army’s top uniformed role in an acting capacity, has added to debate over whether political alignment is becoming a larger factor in senior military appointments.

Questions over wartime leadership changes

As the Iran conflict intensifies, reports have pointed to possible strategic and operational risks linked to abrupt changes in Army leadership. Media reports cited military analysts as warning that replacing top commanders during active combat could affect planning, coordination with joint and allied forces, and long-term readiness.

CNN reported that the Pentagon has offered no official explanation connecting the leadership change to developments on the battlefield, leaving uncertainty about possible effects on troop deployments, logistics and cooperation between services.

The shake-up has also drawn scrutiny in Washington, where lawmakers and defence experts have questioned whether repeated turnover at the highest levels could strain civilian-military trust and complicate the conduct of the Iran campaign.

Critics say removing senior officers during wartime risks politicising the armed forces at a time when unified command and professional judgment are especially important. Supporters of Hegseth’s move, however, argue that bringing senior leadership into line with the administration’s strategic objectives, including the possibility of broader ground operations, could provide fresh momentum to a campaign that has faced setbacks and growing regional resistance.

US media outlets have portrayed George’s removal as both a personal setback for the general and part of a wider institutional realignment at the Pentagon, with possible implications for how the Army fights the war, works with allies and manages political pressure from the White House and Congress as the conflict with Iran moves into what reports described as a potentially more decisive stage.