Love Him or LaNeve Him

Pete Hegseth’s decision to replace the highly regarded Gen. Randy George with Gen. Christopher LaNeve infuriated senior Army officials. As he prepares to be confirmed to the role, however, LaNeve is trying to mend fences and win converts.

LaNeve is seen by his peers as “fine,” “not too much of a superstar,” “white bread,” and “unremarkable.” Yet he’s been the one general in the Army whose career has been turbocharged, while Hegseth has fired or pushed far more promising general officers aside. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

Julia Ioffe

April 30, 2026

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Last Friday, the top Army brass and civilian leadership gathered in Conmy Hall at Fort Myer, in Arlington, for the retirement ceremony of Gen. Randy George. There was little of the usual pomp and circumstance that would normally accompany the retirement of someone as high-ranking as George—a beloved four-star general and the outgoing chief of staff of the Army, the top uniformed officer for the largest branch of the U.S. military. But the attendees said it all: Some 500 of them gathered to wish George well.