Hegseth's wartime firing of top generals stun officials: "It's insane"

The ousters of Army Chief of Staff Gen. https://www.axios.com/2024/10/16/randy-george-army-transformation-ausa" target="_blank">Randy George and Army Gen. https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/army-project-convergence-anduril-simulation" target="_blank">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 general and flag officers booted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

These https://www.axios.com/2025/08/27/beck-kruse-pentagon-hegseth-fired" target="_blank">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 https://www.axios.com/2025/06/25/fort-stewart-army-transformation-driscoll" target="_blank">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 with elements of the Army's https://www.axios.com/2026/03/25/82nd-airborne-army-jrtc-louisiana" target="_blank">82nd Airborne Division bound for the Middle East.

The Army 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 https://www.axios.com/2025/07/12/missile-defense-patriot-interceptors-ukraine" target="_blank">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 https://www.axios.com/2025/12/10/hegseth-trump-monroe-security-strategy" target="_blank">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: https://www.axios.com/2026/04/01/iran-war-damage-reaper-stratotanker-sentry" target="_blank">Iran war costs grow as key U.S. systems are knocked out