Hegseth asks US Army's top general to step down

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Randy George to step down from his post, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on social media that George "will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately".

It was not immediately clear why he was being asked to leave.

"We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army," an unnamed senior defence official told CBS.

Pentagon spokesperson Parnell said: "The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement."

Two officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters Hegseth has ⁠also fired General David Hodne, who leads the Army's Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, head of the Army's Chaplain ​Corps.