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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing heavy criticism after the Trump administration fired army chief of staff General Randy George and two other senior figures on April 3
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (Image: REUTERS)
In response to questions asked by the US Congress, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has said he “does not know the number” of the army generals he has fired amid the Iran war.
Hegseth was grilled if he knew how many generals he had fired, to which he said: “I don’t know the number…they all serve at the pleasure of the president…”
He was told he had fired “eight generals” and asked why he did so. Hegseth was seen stalling in response to the questions as he testified at the House hearing.
Watch the video here:
“How many generals have you fired?”Hegseth: “I don’t know the number”“Oo You dont know the number?It’s eight. Why did you fire them?”Hegseth: “At the pleasure of the president…”“Stop You can just tell me Why and you probably learned what ‘why’ means.” pic.twitter.com/WD8h3Ig2e2— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) April 5, 2026
“How many generals have you fired…You don’t know the number? It’s eight. Why did you fire them? Stop; you can just tell me why and you probably learned what ‘why’ means,” a House representative said.
Hegseth is facing heavy criticism after the Trump administration fired army chief of staff General Randy George and two other senior figures on April 3. This ouster came as a surprise shake-up and meant the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the military since President Donald Trump returned to power a year ago.
There was little in the way of a public explanation for sacking the general, a highly decorated veteran who oversaw the army at a time when the United States is more than a month into a punishing bombing campaign against Iran that Trump says will continue several weeks more.
During a nearly four-decade military career, General George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and also served in positions including vice chief of staff of the army and senior military assistant to then-defense secretary Lloyd Austin during Joe Biden’s term as president. Others removed included General David Hodne and Major General William Green Jr.
General Hodne led the army’s transformation and training command while Major Gen Green was in charge of the Chaplain Corps. Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025, shortly after taking office.
Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the navy and coast guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the air force, a navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers. The chief of staff of the air force also announced his retirement without explanation only two years into a four-year term, while the head of US southern command retired a year into his tenure.
Hegseth has insisted the President is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicisation of the traditionally neutral US military.
(With agency inputs)
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
April 05, 2026, 5:43 PM IST
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