Overview
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Gen. Randy A. George is retiring effective immediately, with Vice Chief Gen. Christopher LaNeve now serving as acting Army chief.
- News outlets also reported the removals of Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the Army chief of chaplains, and Maj. Gen. David M. Hodne, who led the Army Transformation and Training Command.
- In an outgoing email verified by CBS News, George told senior leaders that U.S. soldiers deserve tough training and courageous leaders of character.
- The shake-up extends a two-year pattern under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that has included firing multiple service chiefs and, per earlier reporting, blocking promotions for two Black officers and two women, fueling clashes with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
- Iran’s embassy in South Africa posted images of U.S. commanders with red crosses and wrote that “the regime change happened successfully,” while former defense secretaries and analysts warn such purges could chill frank military advice and further erode public trust.