Pete Hegseth fires highest-ranking US Army officer in the middle of Iran war
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for the resignation of the highest-ranking U.S. Army officer amid the Iran war.
Hegseth asked Gen. Randy George to resign and retire immediately, sources told CBS News.
A Pentagon official said: ‘We are grateful for their service, but it was time for a change of leadership in the Army.’
Biden’s appointee, George, appears to conflict with the administration’s vision for the Army.
Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve, one of Hegseth’s former aides, is likely to be considered to replace him.
While George is not a field commander directing tactical attacks in the field, he is the most senior uniformed officer in the Army.
As a four-star General and the 41st Chief of Staff, he is responsible for organizing, training and equipping more than one million soldiers.
Hegseth’s decision comes as 50,000 US troops are deployed to the Middle East ahead of a possible ground attack on Iran.
Gen. Randy George attends the Heroes ceremony for Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Capt. Larry L. Taylor at Conmy Hall, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia, United States, September 6, 2023
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave updates on ongoing military operations against Iran at a press conference about the Iran war at the Pentagon on March 19.
George reports to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine; The branch’s civilian head is Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and Hegseth.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff typically has a four-year term, meaning George is significantly short of serving his full term once confirmed by the Senate in 2023.
George served as senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, following decades of service including the First Gulf War and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hegseth purged more than a dozen senior officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Born and raised in Iowa, George joined the Army in 1982 and graduated from West Point in 1988.
He served in the First Gulf War and later held command and staff positions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A highly decorated officer, George earned the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, four Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars and one Purple Heart.
George’s firing came at a time when the war in Iran had no end in sight and was extremely volatile.
U.S. Air Force crew chiefs perform pre-flight checks on a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber during Operation Epic Fury on March 17.
After the attack on Tehran by the USA and Israel on April 1, smoke rose from residential areas.
WE. Sailors and sailors aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility on March 27.
An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye prepares to launch from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury
In his prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday, Donald Trump vowed to bomb Iran to “return it to the Stone Age” while claiming the conflict would be over in two to three weeks.
Oil prices have soared as the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes, continues to be strangled by the Islamic regime.
The Trump administration says it is negotiating with Iran, but Tehran denies these claims.
Trump has suggested in recent days that he would be prepared to leave the war to his Arab and European allies without securing the Bosphorus.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has presented the President with audacious plans to seize Iran’s uranium, along with the thousands of sailors and paratroopers now in the region.
