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Hegseth’s Useful Tool

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the new chief of staff of the U.S. Army, has enjoyed a spectacular rise from obscurity, often at the expense of more popular generals that Pete Hegseth has purged—fueling suspicions that he’s become a proxy in Hegseth’s feuds and an active participant in his “slow-motion coup.”

Christopher LaNeve
The coincidence of LaNeve’s rise at a time when so many other general officers are being culled hasn’t improved his reputation, either. “So many of the Army’s talented generals are being attacked or fired—and there’s one that’s ascending?” the defense official said. “That kind of makes you wonder.” Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Julia Ioffe
April 23, 2026

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On the evening of January 20, 2025, Donald Trump’s first stop on the party circuit was the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball. The Marine Corps band played, the troops were honored, Trump and J.D. Vance cut a cake with ceremonial sabers. Trump even did a little shimmy to his perennial favorite, “Y.M.C.A.” It was more or less standard fare, until Lieutenant General Christopher LaNeve called in from Camp Humphreys, 40 miles south of Seoul, where he commanded the 8th Army.