FLIGHT RISK

Pentagon Pete Hit by Kid Rock Bombshell After Firing Top General

No official explanation was given as to why Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George was removed in April.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top officer soon after he was advised to stop an investigation into a military flyby outside MAGA singer Kid Rock’s home, it has been revealed.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George was forced out of the role in April without explanation, with Hegseth’s former military aide, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve, in line to replace him.

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Days before his abrupt firing, LaNeve advised George to stop the Army review into the two AH-64 Apache helicopters seen hovering outside Kid Rock’s Tennessee home in March, sources have told The Washington Post. George had wanted to determine whether typical protocol had been followed or whether the stunt violated safety regulations.

LaNeve is said to have told George that Hegseth did not want the investigation to proceed and that it would be best for him to shelve it. The encounter reportedly left George uncomfortable, and he was then fired a matter of days later.

Neither Hegseth nor anyone else within the Pentagon has explained the decision to remove George, who was nominated for the role by former President Joe Biden in 2023.

An investigation was launched by Army officials with the 101st Airborne Division into the flyby at Kid Rock’s home after the country singer and rapper posted a video of it on March 28. The pilots of the Apache helicopters were also grounded pending the review.

However, Hegseth intervened almost immediately and declared that the probe would be scrapped and that the pilots would face no disciplinary action.

“No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth posted on X on March 31.

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On April 2, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell announced that George would be retiring “effective immediately.” The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term, meaning George would have held the position until 2027 if Hegseth had not ousted him.

Hegseth has fired more than two dozen senior military officers while leading the Pentagon, including U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan, General James Slife, the Air Force vice chief of staff, and Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the Army’s chief of chaplains.

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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who was considered a potential replacement for the scandal-plagued Hegseth, is also expected to leave in the coming weeks. Sources told the Post that George’s close working relationship with Driscoll also contributed to his firing.

LaNeve has filled in as acting Army chief of staff since George was fired in April. However, his chances of being confirmed for the role permanently are in jeopardy because he lacks the backing of several Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In a statement to the Daily Beast, Hegseth described LaNeve as “precisely the kind of leader the U.S. Army needs right now,” who is “focused on strengthening our Army, and not interested in playing politics in Washington.”

“He is a back-to-basics, no politics, no-nonsense General—exactly what President Trump expects,” Hegseth said. “The critics coming after him are the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who’ve spent years undermining our military with woke policies and endless wars. They hold deep grudges against any commander willing to put America and our troops first, but their days of influence are over.”

Hegseth did not address the conversation between LaNeve and George regarding the Kid Rock investigation in his statement.

Parnell accused the Post of “regurgitating a tired, old story simply to manufacture fake drama” with its reporting on the talks between LaNeve and George.

“General LaNeve is delivering an outstanding performance as Acting Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He has the complete and total trust of Secretary Hegseth,” Parnell told the Daily Beast. “As we have made clear, we are actively coordinating with our Senate partners to lock in the optimal moment to formally submit his nomination, and we intend to do so.”

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