Apr 06, 2026 16:56 pm IST

Opinion | The Quiet 'Upheaval' Within US Military Over The Iran War

General Randy George's ouster carries echoes of a similar episode in 2003, in the run-up to the Iraq war. But much more is happening within the US military, courtesy Hegseth.

Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Columnist

Brig (Retd) Anil Raman Columnist

A series of developments inside the United States military has brought a deeper issue into focus: what happens when visible disagreement emerges between the military and political leadership during an ongoing war?

The sequence of events in the Iran campaign is now reasonably clear.

General Randy George, the US Army's chief and a highly decorated infantry officer who served in the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan, was removed while American forces remained engaged in operations against Iran. His tenure had not run its course. George's firing stemmed in part from Hegseth's long-running grievance with the Army and his troubled relationship with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, with whom George had been an ally. Driscoll is widely seen as aligned with Vice President JD Vance, adding a dimension of internal political rivalry to what was formally presented as a routine leadership change.

The Rumsfeld-Shinseki Episode

The parallel with an earlier chapter of American civil-military history has not gone unnoticed. George's ouster carries echoes of Defence........

© NDTV