【Focus: Trump Appoints the "Second-in-Command" of the U.S. Army】
On October 21, 2025, Washington time, the Associated Press published a news release stating:
Citing a congressional record, President Donald Trump has nominated Major General Christopher Lanneff to serve as the second-highest-ranking officer in the Army. General James Minges currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff and has not publicly stated his intention to resign. He has been in office for less than two years, and his term typically lasts at least three years. Officials from the Army and Hedges' office have declined to provide any details about Minges' apparent removal and Lanneff's promotion. Lanneff is now a senior military aide to Hedges.
This move, announced in the congressional record yesterday, is the latest in a series of unexpected and unexplained dismissals, reassignments, and promotions that are reshaping the senior ranks of the military under President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hedges.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846624758401028/
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