Two years before Gen. Christopher Laneway joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s inner circle, he was a division commander known for strictly enforcing rules, banning cellphones during physical training and insisting that soldiers use only military-issued gear.
According to current and former members of the unit, it was the kind of harsh approach that endeared Laneway to the rank-and-file in the 82nd Airborne Division, many of whom he chafed at when he appeared at All-American Week events during his final year as commander.
But it was a reputation for discipline and — later — a chance encounter with President Trump, who declared the square-jawed general out of “central casting” that put Laney on the fast track to becoming the highest-ranking official in charge of training and equipping the Army.
Laneway, now acting chief of staff of the Army, is set to receive the nomination as early as this week, according to US officials, although Trump could change his mind on the appointment.
Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, said, “What he did, which I admired, was he brought the 82nd – it had gone a little away – back to traditional training and traditional values.” “I think the Army has gotten away from the idea of traditionalism and what it means to fight and how to fight.”
Laneway, whom colleagues describe as ambitious but simple, could face tough questions from lawmakers if he is approved for the Army’s top military job. Some Republicans have privately indicated they are not sure he is suitable for the job, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations.
Laneve declined a request to be interviewed for this article through a spokesperson.
Laneve is less experienced than most of his predecessors: he has been a four-star general for only three months, since February 6, when he was confirmed as deputy chief of army staff. Most chiefs serve for at least 18 months in the four-star role before assuming the top post.
Lawmakers are also expected to use Laney’s nomination to raise concerns over other issues, including Hegseth decision to fire The most recent Army chief of staff, General Randy George, also cut troop levels in Europe.
In a statement, Hegseth said LaNve has his “full support”, dismissing critics as “the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who have weakened our military for years with vigilante policies and endless wars.”
shadow of january 6th
Unlike many in the military’s top ranks, Laney did not attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Instead, he received his commission as an infantry officer through the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Arizona in 1990. He served several tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Pentagon, where as a captain he was the executive assistant to Kellogg, who was a two-star officer at the time.
Kellogg said, “He was very good at what he did, very hard-working, very smart, willing, as they say, ‘to speak truth to power.’
But Laneve’s rise was not without controversy. In 2021, he was serving as a one-star general on the Army staff when a group of pro-Trump protesters attacked the Capitol. As director of Army operations, readiness and mobilization, Laneway was the liaison between the Army and the National Guard, according to current and former officials.
The Defense Department Inspector General found no wrongdoing By officers of the department or army. The watchdog found that the actions taken by the Defense Department in response to the January 6 riot were “appropriate given the circumstances prevailing that day.”
But less than a month later, a 36 page memo At the time, a lawyer for the District of Columbia National Guard alleged that top officials, including Laney, covered up an hour-long delay in the military’s riot response. The memo, submitted by Colonel Earl Mathews, now Pentagon general counsel under Hegseth, asserted that Laney and the Director of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Walter Piatt, had lied.
Matthews wrote, “Piat and Lainve literally changed facts and memories overnight. The final product was a revisionist tract worthy of the best Stalinist or North Korean propagandist.”
Piatt and Matthews did not respond to requests for comment. Army and Pentagon spokespeople did not respond to questions about Laneway’s involvement in the January 6 response.
staunch stickler for rules
Later, as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, Laneway developed a reputation as an enforcer of rules that many of his own soldiers considered old-fashioned, including gear restrictions and a cellphone ban during morning physical training, according to Army officials and current and former members of the unit who served under Laneway.
During the unit’s annual All-American Week celebration, LaNeve also banned the long-standing tradition of veterans throwing beer cans at soldiers walking in formation and ordered military police units along the route to patrol for alcohol, the people said. According to Army officials, Laneway viewed the exercise as a security issue.
Major Peter Suljona, a LANEV spokesman, said such rules were not new or unique to commanders.
“He believes the focus should be on the war, and all other distractions are just that: distractions,” Sulzona said.
At the same time, LaNve was considered by some of her subordinates to be pushing Biden-era policies that Trump and Hegseth had denounced as “woke”, such as allowing preferred pronouns and training on transgender identity and diversity initiatives, though much of that rhetoric was ignored at lower levels of command. According to the letter, in June 2023, they signed a memorandum to commemorate “Pride Month”.
“We appreciate the contributions of LGBTQ+ paratroopers and understand that inequality and discrimination undermine the strategic benefits of diversity and our core mission,” according to the letter.
US and military officials defended Laneway’s decision to sign the memo, pointing out that the previous administration had required him to do so.
‘Central Casting’
Lanew did not serve a full two-year tour as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. He was quickly promoted and moved to South Korea to take command of the Eighth Army in January 2025. There, Laneve received an assignment that would change the direction of his career: The Pentagon was looking for a foreign unit to do the video call for Trump’s second term inaugural ball and had decided on the Eighth Army.
Lainve’s presence with dozens of soldiers impressed the Commander-in-Chief. According to U.S. military officials, Lanev recited a script, saying, “Welcome back, Mr. President.”
“Is this guy central casting, or what?” Trump asked the ballroom crowd.
Laneway was already prepared to take over as senior military assistant to Hegseth, according to Kellogg, who said he had recommended that the incoming Secretary of Defense interview Laneway before the inauguration.
During interviews, Hegseth was impressed by Laneway’s record and his coordination with the Pentagon chief’s plans for the military, according to current and former officials familiar with Hegseth’s thinking. People said that her strong interview performance and the fact that the President appreciated her video appearance gave Laneway the edge.
Laneve later endeared himself to Hegseth with his work ethic, direct approach to problems, and an experienced military perspective, his ability to provide assistance to officers. Last year, Laneve was a strong supporter of the Pentagon chief’s controversial move in September end shaving discount According to one officer, for almost all the soldiers.
Since becoming Pentagon chief last year, Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least eight senior Army generals, including George.
Laneway became the main beneficiary of these changes, as some of them were phased out, paving the way for its rise.
Hegseth said, “General LaNway is exactly the kind of leader the U.S. Army needs right now. He is decisive, focused on strengthening our military and not interested in playing politics in Washington. He is a back-to-basics, no politics, no nonsense general – exactly what President Trump expects.”
Write to Lara Seligman lara.seligman@wsj.com And on Dan Lyon dan.lyon@wsj.com
