Failure of Judgment?

[Editorial]

Did the Secretary of Defense have a serious lapse in judgment in the firing of the Army’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, weeks into Trump’s War? Trump invaded Iran, and five weeks later, Gen. George was “Shit Canned” for no reason given at the time.

But let us go back in time, just before his firing… Army attack helicopters did an unauthorized fly-by of Kid Rock’s house. Here is what was reported at the time...

Hegseth ousts Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George
CBS News
By Jennifer Jacobs, Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta
April 2, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News.

One of the sources said Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement President Trump and Hegseth's vision for the Army.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that George "will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement."

A senior Defense Department official told CBS News, "We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army."

Just like that—BOOM! With no hints… just the ax, with no replacement waiting in the wings! In the middle of the war. What could the general have done? That hasn’t come out until now, and the dots connect it to the Kid Rock fly-by… the general was all for investigating it against his boss’s wishes.

The Los Angeles Times reported back in April that:

The forced departure of George in the middle of a war created yet another blow to morale inside the Pentagon, where multiple officials expressed dismay over the state of the department’s leadership. Over the last year, Hegseth has fired five sitting members of the joint chiefs of staff, with only two holdovers remaining in their posts.

“Whenever you have a change in leadership, military or otherwise, there is bound to be some churn in information management,” one U.S. official said, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “So what you’re doing, in the middle of a war, as we are taking U.S. casualties, is you’re taking out the general in charge of making sure the right people and equipment are flowing into the Middle East."

Was it the bad news that got him “Shit Canned,” or was it something else? CBS News goes on to report:

The ouster follows Hegseth's X post lifting the suspension of the aircrew that flew by Kid Rock's house in Nashville last weekend. After the Army announced the suspension of the aviators involved and an administrative review, Hegseth overruled the Army, writing on his personal X account, "No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots."

Timing?

But wait, there’s more! Since then…

Before Hegseth fired him, top general was advised to drop Kid Rock probe
Dan Lamothe and Noah Robertson,
The Washington Post
August 26, 2026

Days before the Army's top officer was abruptly fired earlier this year, he was advised by a fellow general now vying to replace him to stop the military's investigation into an unauthorized helicopter flyby of musician Kid Rock's Tennessee estate, three people familiar with the matter said.

Gen. Randy George, whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed as the Army chief of staff without explanation, felt it was important to follow typical protocol and determine whether any safety regulations had been violated during the March 28 flyby, these people said. Like some others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the episode.

Gen. Chris LaNeve, the Army's No. 2 officer, told George that Hegseth did not want the investigation to proceed, one person said. The two others said that George later confided in colleagues that he seemed troubled by the encounter with LaNeve, who suggested it would be best if the review was scuttled.

The revelation, which has not previously been reported, adds a new layer of understanding to Hegseth's potential motivations for firing George on April 2. Kid Rock, whose legal name is Robert Ritchie, is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and avowed critic of many Democratic politicians and causes.

Here we are, right in the middle of Trump’s War, and we are changing leaders—not because of incompetence or a failure of judgment by the general. It was because a MAGA hotshot pilot wanted to impress a friend of Trump’s, Kid Rock, so he did a fly-by. The Army Chief of Staff wanted to pursue the possible violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but his boss didn’t. His boss put politics ahead of the law and morale. That is why he was fired… he didn’t want special rules for special people. The general was advised to drop the Kid Rock investigation but felt it was important to follow normal protocol, and for that, he got fired!

Think about this: Gen. George was the Army’s senior uniformed officer during the planning and execution of the war in Iran. For that, I believe the Secretary of Defense showed a Failure of Judgment in putting politics before the war effort when he fired him.

I am reminded of “The Want of a Nail” by Todd Rundgren:

… For the want of a nail (the world was lost)
For the want of a nail, oh yeah (the world was lost)
For the want of a nail (the world was lost)
For the want of a nail (the world was lost)

[/Editorial]