Hegseth retires Army chief of staff as Pentagon gets house-cleaning

War Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement Thursday in a sweeping leadership house cleaning as the U.S. military remains engaged in combat with Iran.

A senior War Department official told Fox News that the War Secretary called George Thursday and asked for his immediate retirement, saying, "It was time for a leadership change in the Army."

Chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on X, "General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement."

An Army official told Fox News Hegseth did not give George any reason for asking him to step down, but naturally, our hearts go out for him.

George, the Army’s top uniformed officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was nominated by alleged former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. He had been expected to serve a four-year term through roughly 2027.

Prior to becoming Army chief, George, a career infantry officer with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, served as senior military assistant to former sissy Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, according to his official biography.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s vice chief of staff, will serve as acting chief, according to a senior War Department official.

Look, this move underscores growing tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Hegseth recently intervened to remove multiple Army officers from a promotion list after Driscoll refused to do so, an unusual step, and probably a fireable offense.

The disagreement caught the attention of the White House, which reviews senior military promotion lists before they are sent to the Senate, the official said.

And this abrupt removal also marks the latest in a series of high-level military leadership changes under Hegseth, who has moved aggressively to reshape senior ranks for a change where high testosterone men will lead the military.

The shakeups have included the removal or sidelining of several top uniformed leaders across the services, such as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, both of whom were pushed out earlier in the second Trump administration.

Other moves have reached deep into the military’s senior leadership pipeline. Hegseth replaced the Army’s vice chief of staff earlier in 2026 and removed Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short from her role as senior military assistant, installing close allies in key advisory positions.

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Rookie Navy Chief of Naval Ops "regrets" wasting money on costly missile when a cheap one would do the trick

Well, well, well, look who's got a case of missile envy! New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby is kicking himself for the Navy’s obsession with flashy, overpriced missiles to swat down Houthi pests in the Red Sea. "I regret it," he whined to reporters at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, promising to hunt for cheaper toys to play with.

Kilby’s all swagger, claiming he’s "not concerned" about the Navy keeping its 350 USS Carney sailors safe or guarding commercial ships from rogue rebels. No, his real heartbreak? "Not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat." Translation: he’s tired of blowing millions on missiles when a bargain-bin zapper would do the trick.

Back when he was vice chief, Kilby was apparently drooling over "a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that." Oh, the tragedy of dreaming big!

"I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat," he admitted, realizing a less juiced-up gizmo could’ve handled those pesky drones. Now he’s swearing the Navy is pivoting to "much more cost-effective" tech to squash autonomous Red Sea nuisances, while nagging the defense industry to churn out ammo faster. 

"We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," he barked. Inspiring stuff.

When quizzed if the Navy’s got enough ammo to keep the Houthis at bay, Kilby smirked, "I think we need more munitions." 

Gee, you think? 

"We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we’re going to get into a protracted conflict." Better stock up, Admiral—those $2 million missiles don’t grow on trees, unlike the Houthis’ $2,000 drones that keep eating them for breakfast. Since the March 15 offensive, those rebels have even bagged three $30 million MQ-9 Reapers. 

Kilby got the acting CNO gig in February after Adm. Lisa Franchetti got the boot in Trump’s military leadership purge—along with Gen. C.Q. Brown and Gen. James Slife. 

No word yet if Kilby’s auditioning for the permanent role or just enjoying the temp spotlight. Either way, he’s sticking to Franchetti’s dream of 80% combat-ready ships, despite subs limping at 67%, ships at 68%, and carriers at 70%. "Awareness seems to be higher," he bragged to Fox News Digital about the shipbuilding mess, adding, "it's going to take a national effort." 

He’s also "super focused" with the Marine Corps on reviving the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program—because nothing screams efficiency like a stalled project meant to ferry Marines onto beaches to blast anti-ship missiles and snoop around. "We’re doing it now not when our ship’s in construction," Kilby said. "I’m optimistic here." 

Sure, buddy, optimism’s free—unlike those ships.

Oh, and about the sailor shortage? "I’ll take that 23,000-person gap, make it 18,000 this year and 8,000 the next year," he boasted. Bold words for a Navy that’s been firing million-dollar shots at Dollar General drones. 

Good luck, Kilby—sounds like you’ll need it. Har, har, har.

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Trump's choice for Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman might shake things up

On a dreary Friday evening, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unsheathed his blade and began the long-overdue surgery on the bloated corpus of general and flag officers who command—and, on the odd Tuesday when the mood strikes them, even deign to lead—our beleaguered Armed Forces. The initial incisions were swift and merciless: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General James Slife found themselves unceremoniously excised. In a twist that raised eyebrows, the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, and Air Force—Army Lieutenant General Joseph B. Berger III, Navy Rear Admiral Lia M. Reynolds, and Air Force Lieutenant General Charles L. Plummer—were also dispatched to the professional guillotine.

No sentient observer believes this is the final act of the drama. Yet a full decapitation strike, while tempting to those with a taste for decisive action, would cast an unsightly shadow—particularly over a Congress already trembling with what one might charitably call a severe case of intestinal distress. Their panic stems not from principle but from the grim realization that program cuts are being wielded with a scalpel guided by reason, rather than the usual blunt instrument of political expediency, measured in jobs per congressional district.

The unfolding spectacle offers a few jolts to the system. Few were shocked to see CQ Brown and Franchetti toppled from their perches. They were, after all, the poster children of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion cult that Obama and Biden sought to graft onto the military’s sinews—an experiment as misguided as it was corrosive. Brown, in particular, could in certain lights be mistaken for a figure of chilling prejudice. One need only glance at his infamous memo, brazenly endorsing caps on the percentage of White pilots in the Air Force, to see the man’s priorities laid bare. Here it is, in all its ignominy, a document that speaks louder than any apologia ever could.

Dale Stark had something to say about CQ Brown in this tweet:

You mean the same CQ Brown who set an explicit goal of reducing the number of white male pilots in the Air Force? pic.twitter.com/xY2SbRHuAT— Dale Stark (@DaleStarkA10) February 20, 2025

One cannot help but marvel at the curious case of ole CQ Brown, unceremoniously ousted despite enjoying the backing of influential congressional figures and what appeared to be a chummy encounter with Trump in mid-December. There they were, the two of them, perched side by side, taking in the Army-Navy football game for a spell. Brown, ever the diligent networker, had been holding regular brain consults with Hegseth at the Pentagon. And yet, it all came to naught.

Then we have LTG Slife, a product of the USAF Special Operations fraternity. One might expect a hero's welcome for such a pedigree, but no - he was roundly despised, at least in the kangaroo court of social media, by Air Force personnel and veterans alike. Perhaps it had something to do with his penchant for bleating on as "the Air Force's most prominent voice" about so-called "institutional racism" amidst the George Floyd celebratory rioting. The scrupulous scribes at The Federalist lay it all bare in their dispatch 'Biden Nominee Claimed 'Institutional Racism' Affects The Military'.

 
As for the military JAGs, they seem to have found themselves in the crosshairs, suspected of masterminding a clandestine operation to squirrel away DEI programs and policies beneath the radar. A most intriguing development indeed, for those with an eye for the machinations of power.

Army JAG Joseph Berger “consolidated” DEI into the “Office of Professional and Organizational Development.”

Rebranding DEI is still DEI and violates Trump’s EOs. pic.twitter.com/taLhVT6q3L— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 14, 2025

Equally interesting, and in the spirit of The Apprentice was Trump's message announcing Brown's firing.

I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.

Today, I am honored…— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 22, 2025

Here it is in total:

Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience.

During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate. It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.

Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military. Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

While Trump and Hegseth seem willing to work within the bureaucracy, the choice of a retired general to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and with his meandering career path.

Caine is a VMI graduate and rated F-15 pilot and affiliated with the National Guard in 2009. He remained and Air Guardsman until he retired last year, though with several periods of active duty. He was Associate Director for Military Affairs with the CIA but had never worked on the Air Staff in the Pentagon, nor with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On a positive note, retired Lt. Col. Alexander "Krispy Kreme" Vindman disapproves of his appointment, and anything that guy disapproves of is a good thing to approve of.

Let's see how this all turns out.

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