Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson has spoken out against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to remove top military leaders. Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and retire immediately, a move that has drawn significant criticism.
The War Department confirmed George’s departure, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell stating on X that George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”
According to Fox News, Jackson took to X to express his confusion over the sudden changes. “What’s happening with our Sec of Defense,” Jackson wrote. He continued, “How do we get rid of all that experience at this time? Help me I don’t get it. Getting rid of The Chaplin leader?” Jackson also pointed out, “What? We’ve got a war going on and we’re getting rid of most of our experience and knowledge built with uniform time.”
Hegseth’s removal of senior military leaders points to a troubling pattern of racial and gender bias in promotion decisions
Reports have since surfaced about the reasons behind Hegseth’s decision to push out the Army’s highest-ranking officer. Hegseth, who is 45, reportedly asked Gen. George, 61, to quit because George and Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll refused to remove two Black and two female officers from a list of military members set for promotion to one-star generals,.
Most of the 29 other officers on the promotion list were white men, which led some senior military figures to question whether the four officers were being singled out because of their race or gender. Hegseth also reportedly refused Gen. George’s request for a meeting two weeks earlier to discuss the matter.
George had wanted to raise the issue of Hegseth “interfering unnecessarily” with Army personnel decisions. This is happening at a particularly sensitive time, as Jackson himself noted, given the ongoing U.S. military operation in Iran.
Nine U.S. officials familiar with the matter said that Hegseth has either blocked or delayed promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy. These officials said Hegseth targeted these individuals because of their race, gender, or perceived ties to previous administration policies. One U.S. official stated, “There is not a single service that has been immune to this level of involvement by Hegseth.”
Beyond Gen. George, Hegseth’s firings on Thursday also included Gen. David Hodne, who led the U.S. Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Maj. Gen. William Green, the head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps. Hodne’s command had been established under George’s leadership.
According to The Daily Beast, the removal of Maj. Gen. Green, a Baptist minister, also connects to Hegseth’s push to overhaul the Pentagon chaplain corps, which he announced last month. Hegseth has been open about his intent to end what he calls “wokeness” at the Pentagon and to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. In February of last year, he publicly stated, “I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength.'”
He also caused controversy by inviting Christian nationalist Pastor Doug Wilson to speak at the Pentagon’s monthly worship service. Wilson has advocated for removing women’s right to vote. Gen. George will be replaced by Gen. Chris LaNeve, who has shown strong loyalty to President Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump’s broader approach to Iran has also drawn attention, with observers watching Trump’s conditions for an Iran deal closely. LaNeve impressed Trump during a teleconference from South Korea at the Commander in Chief’s Ball on January 20, 2025, where he told the president, “Sir, every day we train, we stay hard, we plan for anything that you possibly could need us to do.”
Trump responded warmly, saying, “Is this man central casting or what? If I’m doing a movie, I’d pick him to play my lead.” A senior War Department official said of George’s removal, “We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army.”
Published: Apr 6, 2026 01:00 pm