The Army Secretary and Members of Congress Embrace a Military Leader Hegseth Pushed Out

The defense secretary forced Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George to retire this month. “I, too, loved Gen. George,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Congress on Thursday.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Randy George shake hands during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and lawmakers in both parties on Thursday rallied around former Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George, who Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly forced to retire this month.

Driscoll, during a House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, told lawmakers he was on vacation with his family when he learned George was told to step down.

“When we drove back from North Carolina, I drove straight to Gen. George’s house,” Driscoll said in an exchange with Rep. Ed Case. “We walked right in, and we all gave him a hug. There is no person who has more respect for Gen. George and his 42 years of service, his Purple Heart, his wife Patty, their grandkids, their kids. I adore them, and he was an amazing, transformational leader. I, too, loved Gen. George.”