Senate confirms George as Army chief

The Senate confirmed Gen. Randy George as the Army's 41st chief of staff Thursday afternoon by a 96-1 vote.

George was nominated by President Biden in April to succeed former Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, who retired in early August. However, George’s nomination, along with that of more than 300 military nominations, was held up due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade, based on the senator’s objections to the Pentagon’s leave and travel reimbursement policies for servicemembers seeking abortions.

With the Senate’s confirmation of George, he becomes the second military officer to be confirmed over Tuberville’s blockade. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), on Wednesday, scheduled individual votes for Air Force Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Biden’s nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George and Gen. Eric Smith -- the nominee to be the Marine Corps’ next commandant.

The Senate confirmed Brown on Wednesday evening 83-11, and a vote on Smith’s nomination is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Lt. Gen. James Mingus, the director of the Joint Staff, was nominated in July to serve as the service’s next vice chief.

Since becoming acting chief following McConville’s retirement last month, George has essentially been doing two jobs due to Tuberville’s blockade, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth noted this week at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“The role of the chief and the role of the vice are both more than full-time jobs, and we have multiple examples of our general officers who are doing that,” she said.

George has served as the Army’s vice chief of staff since August 2022. His service also includes working as a military assistant to the secretary of defense, and tours of duty in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.