US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin to retire early amid Pentagon shake-up

The USA's top airman, General David Allvin, will retire this year after serving just two years as Air Force Chief of Staff.

The early departure, halfway into his four-year term, underscores a sweeping leadership shake-up since Pete Hegseth was appointed as Defence Secretary in January 2025.

Mr Hegseth has overseen the removal of multiple senior officials and ordered a 20% cut in four-star general officers across the military.

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Gen Allvin has served as head of the US Air Force since 2 November 2023 and previously as Vice Chief from November 2020.

He plans to retire on 1 November but will remain in the post until a successor is confirmed.

Gen Allvin is the fourth US military service chief to depart since President Trump took office. 

The sweep of dismissals includes the removal of General CQ Brown Jr as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Lisa Franchetti as Chief of Naval Operations, and Admiral Linda Fagan as Commandant of the Coast Guard, the latter having made history as the first woman to lead a US armed service.

Cyber Command chief General Timothy Haugh was fired in April.

Six months ago, Mr Hegseth dismissed Gen James Slife as the US Air Force's vice chief of staff, a role that Gen Allvin had held for three years before being promoted to chief.

No reason was given in the air force announcement for Gen Allvin's retirement.

According to Politico, Gen Allvin has been a vocal supporter of the Defence Secretary's military reforms and has focused on trimming down the workforce.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff, and I'm thankful for Secretary Meink, Secretary Hegseth and President Trump's faith in me to lead our service," Gen Allvin said.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy E Meink thanked Gen Alvin for these "transformational initiatives".

"I'm forever grateful for his partnership as well as his decades of exemplary service to our nation," he said.

Gen Allvin is an Air Force Academy graduate whose 39-year career has seen him fly more than 4,600 hours as a command pilot.