A top U.S. Army general responsible for overseeing American forces and military operations across Europe has been abruptly removed from command nearly two months before his scheduled departure, with officials providing no public explanation for the decision.
Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commander of the Army’s V Corps, was removed from his position in recent days, an Army spokesperson confirmed Friday.
The circumstances surrounding Costanza’s early removal remain unclear.
Costanza had commanded V Corps since April 2024 and was already expected to leave the position in October.
His planned successor, Maj. Gen. Thomas Feltey, had previously received Senate confirmation to take over the command.
Instead, Brig. Gen. John B. Mountford, V Corps’ deputy commanding general for readiness, is temporarily serving as acting commanding general following Costanza’s sudden departure.
The early removal comes amid a much broader reshuffling of America’s senior military leadership under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
More than two dozen high-ranking military officers have been removed or sidelined during Hegseth’s tenure, often without detailed public explanations.
However, a source familiar with Costanza’s removal told ABC News that the decision was unrelated to Hegseth’s broader effort to reshape the military’s senior leadership and did not involve political considerations.
No alternative explanation was provided.
Costanza held a significant position within the American military’s European operations at a particularly consequential time for the continent.
V Corps is responsible for overseeing U.S. Army forces and coordinating operations across Europe.
The corps maintains a forward presence in Poland and has assumed an increasingly prominent role following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Its responsibilities have included helping coordinate American military support for Kyiv and managing the U.S. Army’s presence along NATO’s eastern flank.
Costanza’s premature removal also comes as the Trump administration has made changes to the American military footprint in Europe.
The Pentagon downsized that footprint earlier this year, including abruptly canceling the planned deployment of the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, to Poland.
The cancellation drew criticism in Warsaw.
President Donald Trump subsequently announced that the U.S. would position 5,000 troops in Poland.
Costanza, an armor officer, has spent more than two years leading V Corps.
Before assuming that command in April 2024, he served as commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
His removal adds another senior officer to a growing list of military leadership changes since Hegseth took control of the Pentagon.
The defense secretary’s shake-up has resulted in more than two dozen senior officers being removed or sidelined, according to ABC News, with the administration frequently offering limited explanations for individual decisions.
Costanza’s case, however, is reportedly separate from that broader effort.
His scheduled replacement had already been selected and confirmed, meaning a leadership transition was expected regardless.
What remains unexplained is why the Army decided to remove Costanza approximately two months before that transition was supposed to occur.
For now, Mountford will oversee V Corps as its acting commander while Feltey’s previously scheduled October takeover approaches.
The Army has confirmed Costanza’s removal but has not publicly disclosed what prompted the unusually early end to his command.
