Randy A. George

Randy Alan George (born 1 November 1964) is a retired American general who served as the 41st chief of staff of the United States Army from 2023 to 2026. He also served as the 38th vice chief of staff of the Army from 2022 to 2023, and the senior military assistant to the United States secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, from 2021 to 2022.

Born and raised in Iowa, George enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1982, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1984 and commissioned in 1988 as an Infantry officer. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times during his career. George served in the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm, commanded the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Iraq War, and commanded the 4th Brigade Combat Team during the war in Afghanistan.

He held staff positions on the Army Staff and the Joint Staff before commanding the 4th Infantry Division from 2017 and being deployed to Afghanistan again. George was later the commanding general of I Corps from 2020 to 2021.

Early life and education Born on 1 November 1964 and raised in Alden, Iowa, Randy Alan George is the son of Robert and Lorraine George. He served as an enlisted soldier from 1982 before beginning attendance at the United States Military Academy in 1984. George graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering in 1988.

Following the Armor Officer Advanced Course in 1993, George was stationed at Fort Carson where he was the assistant operations officer for 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and then commanded C Company and later Headquarters Company in 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. After that assignment he attended the Colorado School of Mines, and later held a position at the Tactical Directorate, National Simulation Center, Fort Leavenworth.

After attending the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, On 5 August 2022, he assumed the duties of the vice chief of staff of the United States Army.

Chief of staff George is sworn in as the 41st chief of staff of the Army on 21 September 2023. He served in an acting capacity as the chief of staff of the United States Army from 4 August 2023. George's nomination to be Army chief of staff was among those delayed by Senator Tommy Tuberville's hold over opposition to the Defense Department's abortion policy. Having been confirmed via standalone vote on 21 September 2023, George was sworn in on the same day via phone by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth while visiting soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska.

After becoming the chief of staff he said his top priorities were preparing the Army to fight future conflicts, strengthening the Army profession, and improving recruitment. Initiatives undertaken for the former include improving the Army's ability to counter drone warfare, increasing the range and accuracy of long-range weapon systems, and ensuring that the U.S. industrial base can meet the needs of the Army.

In 2024, he decided to cut 5% of the general officer positions in the Army by declining to fill 12 of the total of 219 positions in the next several years, which were deemed "non-essential." At Army headquarters, it was decided to reduce its size by 1,000 personnel.

On 1 May 2025, George and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll announced the Army Transformation Initiative, a project to restructure the Army, reduce inefficiency, and quickly incorporate new technologies, as part of a larger effort consistent with a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (second Trump cabinet). Described as the Army's biggest restructuring in a generation, among its changes are the creation of transformation-in-contact brigades and plans to merge several existing Army commands. The first phase of the initiative took place during 2024, when three Army brigades started experimentation with new technology and structures as transformation-in-contact brigades. This was intended to assist the Army's adoption of drones and other systems that have been widely used in the Russo-Ukrainian war. George also ended the Army's acquisition of the M10 Booker, after it was determined to be too easy to destroy with drones, and accelerated the development of the M1E3 Abrams and the acquisition of the Infantry Squad Vehicle. In October 2025, the Army combined Training and Doctrine Command with Futures Command, to create Army Transformation and Training Command. George also announced that Forces Command will be merged with U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South to form a Western Hemisphere Command before the end of the year, as an effort to reduce the size of headquarters.

In November 2025, George was part of a delegation of senior Army officials that were led by Secretary Daniel Driscoll to Ukraine, where they met with Ukrainian leaders to discuss the peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war. On 5 December 2025 he spoke at the activation ceremony of the United States Army Western Hemisphere Command, where he passed the colors to its first commanding general. After the start of the Iran war on 28 February 2026, George worked to get additional personnel and air defense assets to the Middle East.

On 2 April 2026, Hegseth asked George to leave his post and retire a year and half before the completion of what is typically a four-year term. George's retirement was "effective immediately", according to a Pentagon spokesman. He officially retired on 24 April. Hegseth's decision was reportedly due to George's close partnership with Army Secretary Driscoll and disagreements over the promotion of senior Army officers. The vice chief, Christopher LaNeve, became acting chief of staff after George's removal. Sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post that days before his firing, George was troubled by a discussion with LaNeve where LaNeve relayed that Hegseth wanted George stop the military’s procedural investigation into an unauthorized helicopter flyby of Kid Rock's home.

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