Top Army general fired after disagreement over Kid Rock helicopter probe, report says—as vacancies mount under Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George shortly after George was told to stand down on a probe of the controversial Army helicopter flyover near Kid Rock’s home, according to a new report—part of a series of departures under Hegseth that have left staffing holes in the military.
Key Facts
Gen. Chris LaNeve, who was serving as Hegseth’s senior military assistant at the time, told George that Hegseth wanted to back off the probe into the March 28 flyby outside the musician’s Tennessee home, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed source.
George, however, told colleagues he felt it was important to follow through with the investigation, per protocol, and said he was unnerved by the interaction with LaNeve, according to The Washington Post, citing two other unnamed sources.
George was fired without explanation on April 2, and LaNeve was appointed as his interim replacement.
The termination, among others of top Army officials, including three people who could have potentially replaced George, has left a leadership vacuum in the Army, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The Trump administration has said it plans to formally nominate LaNeve as Army chief of staff, but has yet to do so, amid opposition from at least one Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joni Ernst, who like George, is from Iowa, according to multiple reports.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who has been at odds with Hegseth for months, is also expected to soon leave the Army, multiple outlets reported.
“We’re doing generational damage to the sense that the military is an apolitical trusted organization that swears an oath to the Constitution, not to a president,” Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., told The New York Times of the firings.
Hegseth defended LaNeve in a statement to The Washington Post, accusing his critics of being “the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who’ve spent years undermining our military with woke politics and endless wars. They hold deep grudges against any commander willing to put America and our troops first, but their days of influence are over.” Hegseth did not address the reported conversation between LaNeve and George about the March flyover near Kid Rock’s home. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described the reporting on the discussion as a “regurgitating” of a “tired, old story simply to manufacturer drama,” he told The Washington Post.
Kid Rock, a staunch Trump supporter whose legal name is Robert Ritchie, posted video footage to his social media account of two Apache helicopters hovering at close distance from his hilltop home in Tennessee in March. The Army suspended the two pilots pending a compliance investigation, but Hegseth quickly lifted the suspensions, posting on X, “no punishment. No investigation.”
In addition to George, Hegseth has fired or forced out at least six senior officers, leaving the Army with a gap in leadership that could take years to fill, according to The New York Times. The Army has five four-star generals on active duty, down from 10 when Hegseth took office, according to The Times. Some of the generals have been fired or their positions have been eliminated. Hegseth also forced out Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus last year and replaced him with LaNeve, who is serving as both vice chief of staff and acting chief.
