Over dozen Generals removed since Hegseth took office

April 3 - The United States military is undergoing a sweeping leadership shake-up, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth overseeing the removal of more than a dozen senior generals and admirals since early 2025.

The latest and most high-profile departure occurred on Thursday, April 2, when General Randy George, the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, was ordered to step down "effective immediately." 

Defense Secretary Hegseth has asked Gen. Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday, as the United States wages a war against Iran.

General George, a West Point graduate with nearly 40 years of service, was joined in his exit by General David Hodne, head of the Army’s Training and Transformation Command, and Major General William Green Jr., the Army's Chief of Chaplains.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that George has been asked to take early retirement from the post of Army chief of staff, which he has held since August 2023.

The ouster is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he took office last year.

CBS News was first to report the ouster.

George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration, before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.

George survived the initial round of firings in February 2025, which saw the removal of top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Silfe, the No. 2 leader in the Air Force, by Hegseth. President Trump also fired Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same time.