Don Bacon

Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and retired Air Force brigadier general, pushed back on Sunday about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent decision to oust Army chief of staff General Randy George and two other generals—calling the firings morally wrong and a sign of "lack of character."

Newsweek reached out the Defense Department via email outside of normal business hours on Sunday for comment.

Why It Matters

George is the latest in a string of more than a dozen senior military officers removed by Hegseth since President Donald Trump returned to office last January. The criticism from Bacon adds rare intraparty friction to a pattern of military leadership reshuffling that has drawn scrutiny from defense officials, national security experts, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

The ouster comes with no clear timeline for the end of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that began late February and as thousands of additional troops—including Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division—are heading to the Middle East.

Who Is General Randy George?

George has served as the Army's 41st chief of staff since September 21, 2023, according to his official biography with the branch. He also served as the 38th vice chief of staff.

He was commissioned as an infantry officer from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988 and was deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

George has also served in key roles like senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, according to the bio.

What To Know

Hegseth asked George to leave his post and retire immediately, according to a Defense Department official who confirmed the development to Newsweek. CBS News, citing sources familiar with the decision, first reported the news on Thursday. George has held the post under former President Joe Biden's administration; the role typically carries a four-year term, meaning he would not have been due to leave until 2027.

Hegseth also ousted Army General David Hodne, who led the Army Transformation and Training Command—a unit stood up only in December as part of George's effort to modernize the Army—and Army Major General William Green, the Army's chief of chaplains, according to a Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity. No reasons were given for any of the three departures.

General Christopher LaNeve will step in as acting Army chief of staff. LaNeve was serving as Hegseth's top military aide when Trump nominated him to be the Army's vice chief of staff last October—a meteoric rise for an officer who held a two-star rank just two years ago. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's top spokesman, described LaNeve as "a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience" who is "completely trusted by Secretary Hegseth to carry out the vision of this administration without fault."

What Did Representative Bacon Say?

In a post to X on April 4, Rep. Bacon wrote that while Hegseth has "the legal right to fire these Flag Officers," the decision is "not morally right nor wise," and said Hegseth, "owes an explanation to the tax paying citizens."

When an X user challenged the basis for that moral judgment—arguing there was no way to assess the firings without knowing the reasons—Bacon replied he personally knows some of the flag officers involved and said "zero explanations" were given. "The disdain that is being fueled in the Pentagon for the Secretary is self inflicted," he added.

In a follow-up exchange a day later, after another X user questioned why Bacon hadn't raised similar objections during the Obama administration, the congressman drew a direct distinction.

"I was a general during the Obama administration," Bacon wrote. "I didn't personally support some of the policies and I didn't vote for him. The generals I know who got fired were fired for cause. But... regardless, don't base your morality because 'the other guy did it.' Firing without cause shows lack of character."