Trump nominates new Army vice chief with current general just two years into the role
October 21, 2025
President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve to serve as the Army’s second-highest-ranking officer, according to congressional records. Gen. James Mingus is currently vice chief of staff and has not publicly said he plans to step aside. He has been in the job for less than two years, and it’s typically a tenure that lasts at least three years. The move, which was posted in congressional records Monday, is the latest in a series of surprise and unexplained firings, reassignments and promotions that have been transforming the senior ranks of the military under Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. LaNeve is now Hegseth’s top military aide.