A three-star general has abruptly decided to retire. 

Just the News reports that Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, the director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff, did so amid reports of friction between McGee and the administration of President Donald Trump.

While leftist outlets are trying to turn this into a big story, it is not that unexpected as McGee is a Biden nominee who appears to have very different policy views from those of the Trump administration.

🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: A three-star general who worked on the Department of Defense’s Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, is retiring from the role after reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine.

McGee objected to Hegseth and Caine on… pic.twitter.com/ROaFW16Ypo

— RTSG News (@RTSG_News) October 31, 2025

"Three-star general pushed out"

CNN was one of the first outlets to report McGee's retirement, and this is how the left-wing outlet described McGee's departure.

It writes:

A three-star general serving on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff has been pushed out of his position following months of sustained tensions with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the matter. The general’s stalled promotion also contributed to his early retirement, the sources said.

The outlet goes on to report that McGee "left his position earlier this month."

The Trump administration, thus far, is keeping a more neutral tone.

CNN quotes a Joint Staff spokesperson as saying:

Lt Gen. JP McGee will retire after nearly three years of outstanding leadership and service on the Joint Staff. We are grateful for his 35 years of honorable and dedicated service to the Nation. We owe him a great debt for his service and it is regrettable anonymous sources would put the focus anywhere else.

Behind-the-scenes

CNN, though, in its report, is claiming that there was a lot of tension going on behind-the-scenes at the Pentagon between McGee and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

The outlet writes:

. . . McGee had frequently “pushed back” against Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine on issues ranging from Russia and Ukraine to military operations in the Caribbean. The sources noted that McGee was nominated by former President Joe Biden nearly a year ago for a promotion to serve as director of the Joint Staff but was never renominated by the current administration.

The Washington Examiner provides more details about that promotion.

Per the outlet:

The general’s stalled promotion has also been a source of tension. McGee was said to be nominated by former President Joe Biden to serve as director of the Joint Staff, a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, he was never renominated by President Donald Trump.

All things considered, it would appear that McGee's departure is probably a step in the right direction by the Trump administration.