Trump taps Hegseth’s top military aide for Army vice chief post

President Trump tapped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s top military aide, Army Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, to be the next Army vice chief of staff, replacing Gen. James Mingus, who has been in the post for less than two years. 

The Senate received LaNeve’s nomination to be the No. 2 Army officer post Monday, according to a congressional notice. He has served as Hegseth’s senior military assistant since April. LaNeve’s new post will need confirmation by the Senate. 

If confirmed by the upper chamber, LaNeve will replace Mingus, who has been in the role since January 2024. 

Mingus’s office declined to comment on the pending nomination. 

“GEN Mingus will continue to execute the duties & responsibilities of his position, focusing on warfighting and the wellbeing of our Soldiers,” an Army spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday. 

Prior to joining Hegseth’s office, LaNeve was the 8th Army commanding general in South Korea. Before that post, LaNeve was the chief of staff for the Combined Forces Command. 

Mingus was the director of the Joint Staff before becoming the Army’s second-most senior officer. Before that, he served as the J3, director for operations. 

Mingus was nominated for the post by former President Biden in 2023 and was confirmed to the role in December of that year. 

LaNeve’s nomination comes as a number of top military officials have announced retirements in recent weeks. 

Earlier this month, Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who oversaw the U.S. military’s strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, confirmed he will retire at the end of the year, leaving the U.S. Southern Commander with a top commander. 

Gen. Thomas Bussiere, a top Air Force commander, announced in early October that he will retire for “personal and family reasons,” while Gen. Bryan Fenton, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, retired in early October.