What to Know About the Army Chief Hegseth Ousted—and the General Who’s Taking Over

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and two other generals in the midst of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, a Pentagon official confirmed to TIME, the most recent firings in a broader overhaul of U.S. military leadership since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. 

“The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X on Thursday, announcing that George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”

Gen. Christopher LaNeve will replace George as acting chief of staff, a Pentagon official confirmed to TIME. The official also confirmed that Hegseth fired the chief of chaplains, Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., and the commander of Army Transformation and Training Command, Gen. David Hodne.

The Pentagon official did not provide rationale for the three firings.

The Pentagon has previously ousted a number of other senior military officers in the months since Trump began his second term. Among those dismissed were most of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the former Chairman, Gen. C.Q. Brown; Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti; and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife.

The firing of three top military officials on Thursday came a day after Trump delivered an address on the war against Iran, in which he said U.S. strikes would bring Iran “back to the stone ages where they belong” over the next two to three weeks, but gave few details about what would come next in the conflict. Since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes that launched the war over a month ago, Trump and Administration officials have offered mixed messages about the state of the conflict and what victory would look like.

Here’s what to know about the officers Hegseth’s ousted this week, and the Army’s new chief of staff.

Who did Hegseth fire?

George was three years into the traditional four-year term of an army chief of staff, the most senior position in the army. 

He was nominated to become the 41st chief of staff by President Joe Biden and confirmed to the role by the Senate in 2023. He previously served as the vice chief of staff, the position LaNeve has occupied since February, and prior to that worked as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin between 2021 and 2022. 

A graduate of West Point, George was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1988 and went on to serve in the first Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. According to his biography on the Army’s website, George was deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was highly decorated for his service.

An unnamed U.S. official told CNN that George was informed of his firing through a phone call from Hegseth while he was in a meeting on Thursday.

West Point honored George’s service in a post on its Instagram account on Thursday.

“Through candid insight and experience, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George challenged them to lead with integrity—even when it’s not easy,” the caption reads. “Thank you, Gen. George, for investing in the next generation of Army leaders.”

Some military officials criticized George's ouster in remarks to news outlets.

One unnamed U.S. official commented on George’s firing to Axios: "Here is a four-star general who is actively working to get equipment and people into theater — to protect U.S. forces — and you fire him? In the middle of a war?”

Green had been the army chief of chaplains since 2023. His firing marks the first time someone in the role has been fired by the defense secretary. 

Green became an army chaplain in 1994 after earlier serving as a cannon crewman and field radio repairman. Prior to becoming chief of chaplains, his past assignments included deputy chief of chaplains, and army Pacific Command chaplain in Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Among his many awards and decorations are the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, and the Army Achievement Medal.

Hodne, a former Army Ranger, was promoted to lead the army’s Transformation and Training Command in October. At a ceremony activating the new command in December, Hodne outlined its mission: “We enable the Army’s continuous transformation, modernizing capabilities, developing leaders, and advancing the profession to deliver decisive readiness.”

Hodne had previously served as the Director of the Futures and Concepts Center since January 2023. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1991.

Who is Gen. Christopher LaNeve?

LaNeve was appointed as vice chief of staff of the army in February.

He had previously served as a senior military assistant to Hegseth since April 2025, when he was tapped to replace Lt. Gen Jennifer Short, whom Hegseth had fired. 

Congratulating LaNeve on his new position as vice chief of staff in a post on X, Hegseth called him a "a generational leader" and said that he would "help ensure the army revives the warrior ethos, rebuilds for the modern battlefield and deters our enemies around the world.”

In more than 35 years of service since he joined the military in 1990, LaNeve has served in combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and held multiple command positions, including as the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and the Eighth Army in South Korea. 

Following Trump’s inauguration, LaNeve congratulated the President, calling into Trump’s ball from South Korea.

“Sir, on behalf of the brave men and women who serve under my command and the thousands of dedicated service members that are part of the joint team in Korea, congratulations on your victory as the 47th President of the United States,” LaNeve said. 

Trump responded, “Is this man central casting or what?” according to a transcript of the event. 

“They’re not going to play games with you. That’s good. I like to see that. Nobody is playing games with that man,” Trump said. 

Following the news of George’s ouster, Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, said that LaNeve is "a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience and is completely trusted by Secretary Hegseth to carry out the vision of this administration without fault."