Gen. Randy George on Sept. 21 was confirmed by the Senate to be the 41st Army chief of staff. He was sworn in shortly afterward by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

The Army vice chief of staff since August 2022, George had been performing the duties of the chief of staff since Gen. James McConville retired Aug. 4.

George was confirmed by a vote of 96-1. His nomination had been held up, along with hundreds of other general and flag officer nominations, in a dispute over a Pentagon policy on reproductive health care.

“Today I was delighted to be able to swear in General Randy George as the U.S. Army’s 41st Chief of Staff following his confirmation by the Senate,” Wormuth said in a statement. “General George is a battle-tested soldier and seasoned leader who has been a critically important champion for the Army as Vice Chief of Staff and as Acting Chief.”

Having first entered the force as an enlisted soldier 42 years ago, George “understands the importance of service and leadership at every echelon,” Wormuth said. “I deeply value the partnership we have already built and look forward to working with him to strengthen and transform the Army’s warfighting capabilities and sustain our all-volunteer force.”

On Sept. 20, the Senate began moving to confirm George, Marine Gen. Eric Smith to be the Marine Corps commandant, and Air Force Gen. Charles Brown to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman.

Brown was confirmed Sept. 20. He will succeed Gen. Mark Milley, who is retiring at the end of September after a four-year term.

Smith was confirmed Sept. 21.

The other nominations are still pending in the Senate.

“While this is a great day for the Army, I am keenly aware that hundreds of apolitical military officers still have their nominations blocked in the Senate by a blanket hold,” Wormuth said. “This hold is hurting our military readiness and causing unnecessary distraction and uncertainty for these officers and their families. It is also a discouraging signal for the talented junior and field grade officers as they contemplate their future as senior Army leaders. It is time for the hold to end and for these nominees to be confirmed.”

George was nominated in April by President Joe Biden to be the Army’s next top officer. He most recently was the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

A former commander of I Corps and the 4th Infantry Division, George is a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He commanded I Corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, from February 2020 to June 2021, and the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, from August 2017 to October 2019.

As division commander, George led the 4th Infantry Division headquarters to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He also was a brigade commander in the division, leading his soldiers to Afghanistan in 2009.

The native of Alden, Iowa, also has served multiple deployments to Iraq.

While performing the duties of Army chief of staff, George has emphasized the importance of an Army that’s focused on warfighting and able to respond to any contingency anywhere in the world.

“Our Army exists to fight and win our nation’s wars. That’s why we exist, that’s why we’re in this uniform,” George said Sept. 12 at the 2023 Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia. “We are a global Army. We’ve got to be ready to go anywhere on short notice.”

To maintain the Army’s edge, George has four focus areas—warfighting, continuous transformation, delivering ready combat formations and strengthening the profession.

“I expect you to focus on what makes you more lethal and cohesive,” George said. “If there are things that are on your training schedule that are not making you more lethal or a more cohesive team, … then you need to have a discussion about taking that off your training schedule.”