Hegseth's wartime firing of top generals stuns officials: "It's insane"
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U.S. Army Gen. Randy George at Fort Polk, La., on March 20. Photo: Colin Demarest/Axios
The ousters of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Gen. David Hodne blindsided military leaders and have generated concern among defense officials about the implications for the war in Iran and the longer-term adoption of new tech and tactics.
Why it matters: George and Hodne join a growing list of generals and flag officers booted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. These abrupt exits have reshaped the Joint Chiefs of Staff, intel-collecting agencies and combatant commands.
Driving the news: George's dismissal was motivated by clashing personalities and not disagreements over where the Army is headed, according to two U.S. officials.
- One of those officials described the firing during a war as "insane."
- Hodne was late last year put in charge of Transformation and Training Command (T2COM), meant to accelerate the service's tech development and deployment. The organization was birthed from the Army Transformation Initiative, which George helped lead.
- "This doesn't feel like a very strong, self-assured decision," one of the officials said of Hegseth's move.
Friction point: The firings come while elements of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division are bound for the Middle East. The service is also responsible for integrated air-and-missile defenses.
- "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?" a third U.S. official told Axios.
Flashback: George on March 20 told Axios the Iran war underscores the need for greater weapons production and stateside capacity.
- "This gets back to how we build this stuff faster," he said. "And we're talking about this with everything — not just interceptors. Every missile. Everything that we're doing."
The intrigue: Gen. Christopher LaNeve is taking over for George in an acting capacity. LaNeve was previously an aide to Hegseth and, more recently, the Army's vice chief of staff, a post that opened after the sudden retirement of Gen. James Mingus.
- The plan for T2COM, just months old, was less clear. Its website still displayed Hodne's leadership headshot as of Friday morning.
- LaNeve has questioned whether the Army is moving "too fast and too far," according to one of the U.S. officials.
Go deeper: Iran war costs grow as key U.S. systems are knocked out
