Army chief's firing at time of war adds to Pentagon turmoil

Merely two weeks had passed since the Iran war began when Gen. Randy George, the Army's highest-ranking officer, began sounding an alarm.

- MICHAEL WILNER

PETE HEGSETH, left, fired his Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George.

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON Associated Press

Touring a weapons depot in North Carolina, Army Chief of Staff George warned lawmakers present that the conflict's vast and ever-growing list of targets was straining U.S. capacity — "depleting our stockpiles faster than we can replace them," as one congressman recalled. Since assuming Army leadership, George had made it his mission to strengthen the nation's industrial base in anticipation of precisely this moment, when the United States would be engaged in a major war with a formidable adversary.

On Thursday, in a brief phone call, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired George. No reason was given, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told The Times.

The forced departure of George in the middle of a war created yet another blow to morale inside the Pentagon, where multiple officials expressed dismay over the state of the department's leadership. Over the past year, Hegseth has fired five sitting members of the joint chiefs of staff, with only two holdovers remaining in their posts.

A WOMAN walks through the war-damaged interior of Tehran's Golestan Palace, top, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Above, then-Gen. Randy George with soldiers in training in November. He was fired as Army chief of staff Thursday.

Bloomberg