Inside the Pentagon, fears of a disrupted war effort after Army chief’s ouster

WASHINGTON— Just two weeks into the start of the Iran war, the Army’s highest-ranking officer, Gen. Randy George, began sounding the alarm.

Touring a weapons depot in North Carolina, George warned lawmakers that the conflict’s vast and ever-growing list of targets was straining the capabilities of the United States — “depleting our stockpiles faster than we can replenish them,” as one congressman recalled. Since assuming leadership of the Army, George had made it his mission to strengthen the country’s industrial base, anticipating this exact moment when the United States would enter a major war with a formidable enemy.

In a brief phone call Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired George. A US official familiar with the matter told The Times no reason was given.

George’s forced departure in the middle of the war dealt another blow to morale at the Pentagon; Here, many officials expressed their concern about the incident. status of the department’s leadership. Over the past year, Hegseth has ousted five sitting members of the joint chiefs of staff, leaving only two remaining in their positions.

“With any leadership change, military or otherwise, there is bound to be some fluctuation in information management,” said a U.S. official who requested anonymity. “So, in the middle of a war, what you do while we’re taking U.S. casualties is you eliminate the general responsible for ensuring the right people and equipment flow into the Middle East.”

Inside the building, authorities believe Hegseth’s next target is Dan Driscoll, secretary of the Army and ally of President Trump. Driscoll is seen by Hegseth’s aides as someone who overshadowed the Secretary of Defense on major policy initiatives.

It’s a purge that Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill fear could have tangible, detrimental effects on the war effort. A second U.S. official said that Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa (all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee) had expressed specific concerns about George’s firing.

Removing the Army leadership responsible for training and equipping its soldiers and ensuring that weapons stockpiles continue to meet demand risks bureaucratic chaos and despair in the ranks at a time when the Trump administration is openly considering a ground operation against Iran.

Others at the Pentagon have expressed concerns about the U.S. military stockpile, including Air Force Secretary Troy Meink last month. Warned at defense conference Ammunition shortages were a concern even before the war began, he said.

“This was something we were concerned about even before the operation,” Meink said. “We didn’t see the threat evolving and what we were up against. So we definitely need to improve on that.”

Trump has rejected It is stated that the United States is facing an arms shortage even after a meeting last month with the country’s largest contractors to increase their production and quadruple it for some products.

“Our interceptors against Iran are thanks to Randy George,” the first U.S. official countered. “He continued to work on the established problem. [Thursday]. “This is a problem set that he works on in real time.”

Jerry McGinn, director of the Industrial Base Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said U.S. forces have reached a stage where they can move away from remote weapons systems in combat. With Iran’s air defenses largely degraded, they can rely on weapons such as laser-guided bombs to relieve pressure on stockpiles.

But Iran’s shooting down of two US planes on Friday suggests longer-range weapons may still be necessary.

“When stocks are stressed, as after Ukraine and now with Iran, any increase in need creates a backlog of trying to replenish stocks,” McGinn said.

“The three things they use a lot are Tomahawks, [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] and the Patriots, and those stocks were already kind of depleted after the Midnight Hammer last summer,” McGinn added. “You can’t run those out too quickly.”

Beyond his role dealing with the nation’s “machine depth” — ensuring the military doesn’t fire more weapons than it can replace — George also led the Pentagon’s effort last year to establish a joint task force aimed at accelerating the U.S. military’s ability to counter small unmanned aircraft systems, or unmanned aerial vehicles.

The program proved critical in the war effort. Tehran now largely relies on its own power. King dronesmissile production and launch capacity have been severely reduced.

Acknowledging the Pentagon’s expulsion, Iran’s embassy in South Africa posted photos on social media on Friday featuring portraits of several senior US military officials who have been fired in recent months.

“Regime change took place successfully,” Iranians wrote.