When I read that the secretary of defense Pete Hegseth had summarily fired the army chief of staff Randy George, I assumed that George was Black because the Trump administration views only white heterosexual men as deserving of having reached high office on their merits and that any minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ person was installed despite their lack of qualifications but because of ‘woke’ ideology dominating over merit.

But Randy George was your standard issue military officer. So why was he dismissed? According to leaks, it was because George was not sufficiently supportive of Hegseth’s ‘white men only’ policy.

The alarming reason behind Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth pushing out the U.S. Army’s highest-ranking officer during wartime has been leaked.

Hegseth, 45, asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, 61, to quit his role and take immediate retirement, according to reporting by CBS News on Thursday.
…

However, a new report reveals that George was removed because he and Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll refused to remove two Black and two female officers from a list of military members to be promoted to one-star generals.

George and Driscoll defied Hegseth, according to The New York Times, and cited the long and exemplary service of the four officers as justification for their being in line for promotion.
…

Nine U.S. officials familiar with the matter said Hegseth had either blocked or delayed promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four branches of the military.

The officials suggested the individuals had been targeted by Hegseth because of their race, gender, or links to Biden administration policies.

Two other generals, one of whom is Black, were also given the boot, and George is reputedly going to be replaced by Christopher LaNeve who had been sucking up to Trump and MAGA and now seems set to get his reward.

Trump first appeared to notice LaNeve during his inauguration celebrations in January 2025, when the general appeared virtually at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball, Stars and Stripes reported.

“Sir, on behalf of the men and women who serve under my command and the thousands of dedicated service members that are part of the joint team in Korea, congratulations on your victory as 47th president of the United States,” LaNeve said at the time. “Welcome back, Mr. President. We’d be privileged to host you here real soon.” 

After speaking briefly with him, Trump said: “Is this man [from] central casting, or what? If I’m doing a movie, I pick him to play my lead.” 

If you are a white, heterosexual male and a Trump sycophant, then you are on the fast track to military promotions. This is what competence means in this administration.