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Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson criticized War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday over the decision to shake up leadership amid the ongoing military operation in Iran.
Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement on Thursday. A senior War Department official told Fox News that Hegseth called George and asked for his immediate retirement, saying, “It was time for a leadership change in the Army.”
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Gen. David Hodne, who led the U.S. Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Maj. Gen. William Green, the head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps, were also ousted, according to Reuters.
The former New York Yankees star was critical of the moves.
“What’s happening with our Sec of Defense. How do we get rid of all that experience at this time? Help me I don’t get it. Getting rid of The Chaplin (sic) leader?” Jackson wrote on X.
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New York Yankees special advisor Reggie Jackson bats during practice before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 25, 2018. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)
“What? We’ve got a war going on and we’re getting rid of most of our experience and knowledge built with uniform time.”
War Department chief spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed George’s move in a post on X.
“General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” he wrote. “The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”
Hegseth announced last month changes to military “faith codes” as he began to overhaul the Pentagon Chaplain corps. He vowed that more changes would be coming.
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)
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Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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