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Randy George
United States Army general (born 1964) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Randy Alan George (born 1 November 1964) is a United States Army general who has served as the 41st chief of staff of the United States Army since 2023. He most recently served as the 38th vice chief of staff of the United States Army from 2022 to 2023, and previously served as the senior military assistant to the United States secretary of defense from 2021 to 2022.
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Born and raised in Iowa, George enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1981 before attending the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1984, commissioning in 1988 as an infantry officer. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times during his career. George served in the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm, commanded the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Iraq War, and commanded the 4th Brigade Combat Team during the war in Afghanistan. He held staff positions on the Army Staff and the Joint Staff before commanding the 4th Infantry Division from 2017 and being deployed to Afghanistan again. George was later the commanding general of I Corps from 2020 to 2021.
As the Army chief of staff, he announced the Army Transformation Initiative in 2025, an effort to restructure the Army, eliminate redundancies, and incorporate new technologies.
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Early life and education
Born on 1 November 1964[1] and raised in Alden, Iowa, Randy Alan George is the son of Robert and Lorraine George.[2][3] He served as an enlisted soldier before beginning attendance at the United States Military Academy in 1984.[4][5] George graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering in 1988.[3][6] He later received a master's degree in economics from the Colorado School of Mines and a master's in international security studies from the Naval War College,[7] and is also a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[8]
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Army career
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George commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy in 1988 as an infantry officer. He served as a lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division and deployed in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm.[8] He had the roles of platoon leader, company executive officer (Desert Shield/Storm), scout platoon leader (3d Battalion, 327th Infantry), aide-de-camp and battalion S3-Air (3d Battalion, 187th Infantry).[7] Following the Armor Officer Advanced Course in 1993, George was stationed at Fort Carson where he was the assistant operations officer for 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and then commanded C Company and later Headquarters Company in 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment.[8] After that assignment he attended the Colorado School of Mines, and later held a position at the Tactical Directorate, National Simulation Center, Fort Leavenworth.[6]
After attending the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth,[7] in 2001 George went to Italy and served as the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was later executive officer and then deputy commander of the brigade, during which time he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom[8] in 2003, in Kirkuk, Iraq.[7] Returning to the 101st Airborne Division in 2004, George commanded 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and deployed a second time to Iraq[8] from 2005 to 2006.[7] He then went to United States Naval War College as an instructor of joint military operations and then as a student.[8][6] He deployed again as part of the initiatives group for the commanding general, Multi-National Corps-Iraq in 2007,[8] in Baghdad.[7]
In 2008 George returned to the 4th Infantry Division, where he commanded 4th Brigade Combat Team and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom[8] from 2009 to 2010.[7] Following command, he was a fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations, chief of the strategic policy division for the Pakistan-Afghanistan coordination cell on the Joint Staff, executive officer to the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and then executive assistant to the commander of U.S. Central Command,[7] the latter starting in March 2013.[6] He then returned to Fort Carson as the deputy commanding general (maneuver) of 4th Infantry Division[8] in July 2014.[6][9]
After two staff assignments as the director of force management for the Army (G-3/5/7) from May 2015 to June 2016, and deputy director for regional operations and force management on the Joint Staff (J-3) from June 2016 to August 2017, George took command of the 4th Infantry Division.[8][9] In this role he deployed again to Afghanistan[8] for nine months, where he served as deputy chief of staff for operations of the Resolute Support Mission.[7] George's most recent command was of I Corps at Joint Base Lewis McChord, after which he served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.[8] He took command of I Corps in February 2020 and served in that role during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. George relinquished command in May 2021 to take up the post of senior military assistant to defense secretary Lloyd Austin.[10] He later assumed the duties of the vice chief of staff of the United States Army on 5 August 2022.[11]
Chief of Staff
He served in an acting capacity as the chief of staff of the United States Army from 4 August 2023.[12] George's nomination to be Army chief of staff was among those delayed by Senator Tommy Tuberville's hold over opposition to the Defense Department's abortion policy.[13] Having been confirmed via standalone vote on 21 September 2023, George was sworn in on the same day via phone by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth while visiting soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska.[14][15]
After becoming the chief of staff he said his top priorities were preparing the Army to fight future conflicts, strengthening the Army profession, and improving recruitment.[16] Initiatives undertaken for the former include improving the Army's ability to counter drone warfare, increasing the range and accuracy of long-range weapon systems, and ensuring that the U.S. industrial base can meet the needs of the Army.[17]
In 2024, he decided to cut 5% of the general officer positions in the Army by declining to fill 12 of the total of 219 positions in the next several years, which were deemed "non-essential."[18] At Army headquarters, it was decided to reduce its size by 1,000 personnel.[19][20] On 1 May 2025, George and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll announced the Army Transformation Initiative, which is a project to restructure the Army and quickly incorporate new technologies. Among its changes are the creation of transformation-in-contact brigades and plans to merge the United States Army Forces Command with the Training and Doctrine Command.[21][22][20] The first phase of the initiative took place during 2024, when three Army brigades started reforms as transformation-in-contact brigades.[23]
George was involved in the planning of the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade, held on 14 June 2025.[24] In October 2025, the Army combined Training and Doctrine Command with Futures Command, to create Army Transformation and Training Command. George also announced that Forces Command will be merged with U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South to form a Western Hemisphere Command before the end of the year, as an effort to reduce the size of headquarters.[19] In November 2025, he was part of a delegation of senior Army officials that were led by Secretary Daniel Driscoll to Ukraine, where they met with Ukrainian leaders to discuss the peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war.[25]
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Personal life
He has been married to Patty since 1989, and they have two children, Grant and Andrea.[8][7]
Awards and decorations
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Defense Distinguished Service Medal |
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Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster |
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Defense Superior Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters |
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Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters |
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Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters |
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Purple Heart |
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Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters |
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Joint Service Commendation Medal |
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Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters |
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Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters |
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Meritorious Unit Commendation with four oak leaf clusters |
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Army Good Conduct Medal |
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National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star |
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Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal |
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Southwest Asia Service Medal |
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Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star |
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Iraq Campaign Medal with silver campaign star |
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Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
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Army Service Ribbon |
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Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral 2) |
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NATO Medal for Service with ISAF |
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Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) |
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Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) |
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Dates of promotion
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References
External links
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