Shafaq News- Washington

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth asked on Thursday Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, CBS News reported, citing sources familiar with the decision.

One of the sources explained that “Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement President Trump and Hegseth's vision for the Army.”

In a statement, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean ParnellsaidGeorge "will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” while a senior Defense Department official told CBS News, "We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army."

The current vice chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was formerly Hegseth's military aide, will be acting Army chief of staff. He previously served as the commanding general of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from 2022 to 2023.

George previously served as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, after decades of service. A career infantry officer and West Point graduate, George first served in the first Gulf War and the more recent conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term. George was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden and confirmedby the Senatein 2023, meaning he would typically have held the position until 2027.

According to CBS, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, includingChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, and the head of theDefense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse. 

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