NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson on Friday criticized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the decision to shake up the leadership amid the ongoing military operation in Iran.
Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and retire immediately Thursday. A senior War Department official told Pakinomist that Hegseth called George and asked for his immediate retirement, saying, “It was time for a change of leadership in the Army.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
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 measures.
“What is happening to our Secretary of Defense. How do we get rid of all that experience at this point? Help me, I don’t understand. Getting rid of Chaplin (sic) the leader?” Jackson signed X.
KNICKS TV BROADCAST’S JOKE COMPARING TYRE’S ‘WIPPED’ DEFENSE TO IRAN LEAVES PARTNER STAYED
New York Yankees special adviser Reggie Jackson strikes out 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 have a war going on and we’re getting rid of most of our experience and knowledge built with uniform time.”
War Department chief spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed George’s move in a post on X.
“General Randy A. George will retire 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 last month announced changes to military “codes of faith” as he began overhauling the Pentagon chaplain corps. He promised more changes to come.
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is inducted during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, NY on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
