Ousted Army chief of staff says soldiers deserve "courageous leaders" in email

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Ousted Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, told Pentagon officials successful an outgoing email that U.S. soldiers merit "courageous leaders of character," aft Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked him to measurement down and instrumentality contiguous retirement.

CBS News exclusively reported earlier this week on the general's ousting, with 1 root saying Hegseth wants idiosyncratic successful the relation who volition instrumentality his and President Trump's imaginativeness for the Army.

An outgoing email, attributed to George and confirmed arsenic authentic by CBS News connected Saturday, circulated online aft his ousting. A U.S. authoritative told CBS News that George sent the email to Hegseth, the undersecretary and adjunct caput of the Army, arsenic good arsenic to the three- and four-star generals and officers connected his staff.

"It has been the top privilege to service beside you and pb Soldiers successful enactment of our country," helium wrote. "I cognize you'll each proceed to enactment laser-focused connected the mission, proceed innovating, and relentlessly chopped done the bureaucracy to get our warfighters what they request to triumph connected the modern battlefield."

He added: "Our soldiers are genuinely the champion successful the satellite – they merit pugnacious grooming and courageous leaders of character. I person nary uncertainty you volition each proceed to pb with courage, character, and grit."

George antecedently served arsenic the elder subject adjunct to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration. He became Army main of staff, typically a four-year post, successful 2023.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a connection that George "will beryllium retiring from his presumption arsenic the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effectual immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of work to our nation. We privation him good successful his retirement."

The existent vice main of unit of the Army, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was formerly Hegseth's subject aide, volition beryllium acting Army main of staff.

Hegseth has fired much than a twelve elder subject officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and the caput of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.

Jennifer Jacobs, Eleanor Watson and James LaPorta contributed to this report.

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