This article was updated after Gen. Randy George was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the 41st Army chief of staff on Sept. 21.

Facing quickly evolving and ever-deepening threats, the Army must focus on warfighting and being ready for any mission it’s called upon to perform, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.

“The Army faces many challenges today at home and abroad, and there will be more in the years ahead, but this is not new. … Facing down challenges both known and unknown is what our Army is built to do,” George said Aug. 4 at outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville’s relinquishment of responsibility ceremony.

“Whether it’s large-scale combat operations, disaster response, something in between or something unprecedented, we will be ready. We will adapt, and we will win,” George said.

To do this, the Army must remain focused on its warfighting mission and continue training to fight at “every echelon,” George said. The Army also must continue to inspire young men and women to serve, George said, referring to one of the toughest recruiting environments the Army has faced since it became an all-volunteer force 50 years ago.

George, who has served as Army vice chief of staff since August 2022, was confirmed Sept. 21 by the Senate on a 96-1 vote to be the 41st Army chief of staff. He was sworn in shortly afterward by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

Before his confirmation, George’s 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. He had been performing the duties of the chief of staff since McConville retired Aug. 4 after four years as the Army’s top general officer.

Command Experience

Before becoming the Army’s 38th vice chief of staff, George 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 soldiers to Afghanistan in 2009. He also served multiple deployments to Iraq, including as a battalion commander.

If confirmed by the Senate, George would lead the Army during a critical time as it faces a historically challenging recruiting environment, growing demands and evolving threats across the globe, and a sweeping transformation that will change the way soldiers fight.

The Army is updating its doctrine and formations and developing leap-ahead technologies and equipment to prepare for large-scale combat operations and multidomain fights. It is competing with China, supporting operations in Ukraine, reassuring allies and partners in Europe, building relationships in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, and supporting missions at home.

It also is struggling to compete with the private sector for talented young people who want to and are qualified to serve, and it continues to work on retaining and taking care of those already in the ranks.

Focus on Warfighting

A veteran of combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, George has long honed a focus on warfighting. “I’ve basically grown up in these formations, from platoon all the way to corps,” he said in an interview, adding that he is “just a couple years removed from being out there as a corps commander.”

His focus was reinforced during a recent troop visit to Europe, where thousands of soldiers are deployed to reassure America’s NATO allies and support Ukraine. “Our original motto is ‘This We’ll Defend.’ That’s why the Army exists, and I think once [soldiers] come in, they want to do whatever their MOS is, whatever their skill, whatever they’ve been trained on,” George said.

For the soldiers in Europe, in close proximity to the war in Ukraine, the focus on warfighting “has resonated well with everyone,” George said. “But I think we have to have a real focus on that.”

As he meets with commanders, George said he has a simple message. “If something doesn’t contribute to warfighting, or it doesn’t contribute to cohesive teams, … then we have to have a look at whether or not we should be doing it,” he said.

The Army must be ready for any mission anywhere. “The Army is going to have to fight at echelon,” George said. “The Pacific is different than Europe. Every theater is going to be a little bit different, and generally, the joint force falls in on the backbone of the Army to provide [command and control] and logistics at every echelon.”

From platoons and companies up to divisions and corps, “we don’t have a choice about being good at what level and just picking a level,” George said. “Everybody’s got a job to do at every level, and you have to figure out exactly what that is,” he said. “What our soldiers count on out there is that everybody’s doing their job at every level.”

Trials in Ukraine

To meet the challenges of the future, the Army must continuously transform. “The character of war has changed significantly in the last couple years,” George said. “I think it’s changed a lot with electronic warfare, with counter [unmanned aerial systems], loitering munitions, the impact of long-range fires, information, cyber, sensors and space.”

The Army is “going to have to focus on how we’re going to operate differently and be even more lethal,” George said.

As part of its evolution, the Army is paying close attention to Ukraine’s ongoing fight with Russia, George said.

Among the key takeaways so far is the importance of strong relationships with partners and allies, he said. The Army also is seeing the importance of long-range fires and logistics, and the combat effectiveness of its equipment, he said. “I think if we’ve learned anything, everybody, the whole world, has learned that U.S. equipment, and most of that has been U.S. Army equipment, is very good,” George said. “Very lethal.”

But the Army must look beyond just equipment, he said. “The equipment is important, but it’s also how you use that equipment and then how you transform,” George said.

The Ukrainians have done a “remarkable” job in many areas, George said. “But a lot of the things that they’re doing are techniques, tactics and procedures, like how rapidly they can move, how they’re doing concealment,” he said. “So, there’s just a lot of lessons that I think we’re going to learn.”

The Army also can do better when it comes to “leveraging American ingenuity” and working with industry, George said. As an example, the Army can look to industry for ideas and innovation as it makes its command posts leaner, less visible and more mobile for the future fight. “If you think about what you do with your phone or with a tablet, there’s no reason why we can’t have people on those kinds of systems rather than big, bulky [systems],” he said.

Focus on Soldiers

The Army’s ability to deliver ready combat formations and strengthen the Army profession are two other areas important to George. “Delivering ready combat formations is to make sure that your soldiers and families are ready and taken care of,” George said.

An initial effort is to make sure commanders have what they need based on their specific requirements and demands. “I commanded Fort Carson and then commanded [Joint Base Lewis-McChord]. Those were two separate and unique installations with different challenges, and Alaska is a very different place with unique challenges, Hawaii is a different place with unique challenges,” George said. “So, how do we give flexibility and authorities and funding … to help them solve problems?”

It takes a lot to build cohesive teams ready for the rigors of combat, but they are critical to the Army’s success, George said. “That’s been my experience all along the way; fit and disciplined and cohesive units perform better, are happier, thrive, are more resilient,” he said.

Underpinning those efforts is the Army profession. “We’re professionals,” George said. “That’s a foundation for everything else that we have to do.”

In addition to a focus on standards and discipline, George said he wants to rekindle “professional discourse” in the Army. “Social media is part of our fabric now, but I want the professional discourse for us to happen with professional writing,” he said.

Inspired to Serve

As the Army builds the force it needs for 2030 and beyond, recruiting and the war for talent remain a challenge. “We’re obviously really focused on recruiting, and we’re meeting … [to see] how we can make some fundamental changes in that,” George said. This could include changes to how the Army selects and trains its recruiters, and the cities and towns on which it plans to focus.

The Army offers opportunity, George said, using his own story of enlisting as a private before attending West Point, as an example. Growing up in the small town of Alden, Iowa, George said he did not come from a military family, but he was inspired to talk to a recruiter after working for and spending time with a local Korean War veteran.

Even then, he didn’t plan to make the Army a career. “I have stayed because of the mission and the people,” George told lawmakers in July as they considered his nomination to become chief of staff.

The Army also must overcome misconceptions about service, George said. Many young people are worried military service means putting their lives on hold, George said. It’s quite the opposite. “It’s going to accelerate your life,” he said. “I think we need to get the word out.”

Recruiting is a challenge the Army must solve, especially as the force remains busy and in-demand around the world. “I think the Army’s doing a lot of really good things. We’re obviously deployed a whole bunch still, as busy as ever,” George said. “I’m proud of the Army. When I go out there, everybody I meet, they’re super proud of what they’re doing. They’re fired up about their mission.”