Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is close to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, could get the nomination as early as this week. Two years before Gen. Christopher LaNeve found himself in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s inner circle, he was a division commander known for strictly enforcing the rules, banning cellphones during physical training and insisting that troops use only military-issued gear.In 2023, Maj. Gen. Christopher LaNeve was commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.It was the kind of hard-line approach that didn’t endear LaNeve to the rank-and-file at the 82nd Airborne Division, many of whom booed when he appeared at the All-American Week events during his last year as commander, according to current and former members of the unit.But it was that reputation for discipline and—later—a chance encounter with President Trump, who declared the square-jawed general someone out of “central casting,” that put LaNeve on an expedited path to become the highest-ranking officer in charge of training and equipping the Army.LaNeve, who is now acting chief of the Army, is poised to get the nomination as early as this week, although Trump could change his mind on the appointment, according to U.S. officials.“What he did which I admired, he brought the 82nd—it had drifted away a bit—back to traditional training and traditional values,” said retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a former 82nd Airborne Division commander who recommended LaNeve before Trump’s second term for a top job at the Pentagon advising Hegseth. “I think the Army had gotten away from the idea of traditionalism and what it means to fight and how to fight.”LaNeve, with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, at a House committee hearing this month.LaNeve, whom colleagues describe as ambitious but unassuming, could face tough questions from lawmakers if he gets the nod for the Army’s top military job. Some Republicans have signaled privately that they aren’t sure he’s the right fit for the job, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations.LaNeve, through a spokesman, declined a request to be interviewed for this article.LaNeve is less experienced than most of his predecessors: He has been a four-star general for only three months, since Feb. 6 when he was confirmed as vice chief of the Army. Most chiefs serve at least 18 months in a four-star role before assuming the top position.Lawmakers also are expected to use LaNeve’s nomination to raise concerns about other issues, including Hegseth’s decision to fire the most recent Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, as well as reductions to troop levels in Europe.In a statement, Hegseth said LaNeve has his “full support,” dismissing critics as “the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who’ve spent years undermining our military with woke policies and endless wars.”The Jan. 6 shadowUnlike many in the Army’s top ranks, LaNeve didn’t 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 multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and in the Pentagon, where as a captain he was executive assistant to Kellogg, then a two-star officer.“He was very good at what he did, very industrious, very smart, was willing to, as they say, the term is ‘speak truth to power,’” said Kellogg.But LaNeve’s rise wasn’t without controversy. In 2021, he was serving as a one-star general on the Army staff when a group of pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol. As the Army’s director of operations, readiness and mobilization, LaNeve was the liaison between the Army and the National Guard, according to current and former officials.The Defense Department’s inspector general found no wrongdoing by department or Army officials. The watchdog found the actions taken by the Defense Department in response to the Jan. 6 riots were “reasonable in light of the circumstances that existed on that day.”But less than a month later, a 36-page memo by a lawyer for the District of Columbia National Guard at the time alleged that top officials, including LaNeve, covered up an hourslong delay in the Army’s riot response. The memo, by Col. Earl Matthews, who is now the Pentagon’s general counsel under Hegseth, insisted that LaNeve and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, the director of the Army staff, lied.“Piatt and LaNeve literally changed facts and recollections overnight. The end product, a revisionist tract worthy of the best Stalinist or North Korea propagandist, was close hold,” Matthews wrote.Piatt and Matthews didn’t respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the Army and the Pentagon didn’t respond to questions about LaNeve’s involvement in the Jan. 6 response.Stickler for rulesLater, as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, LaNeve developed a reputation as a stickler for rules that many of his own troops deemed old-fashioned, including gear restrictions and the cellphone ban during morning physical training, according to Army officials and current and former members of the unit who served under LaNeve.During the unit’s annual All-American Week festivities, LaNeve also banned the longstanding tradition of veterans tossing cans of beer at the soldiers running in formation, and ordered military police units along the route to patrol for alcohol, the people said. LaNeve saw the practice as a safety issue, according to the Army officials.LaNeve’s spokesman, Maj. Peter Sulzona, said such rules aren’t new or unique for commanders.“He believes the focus needs to be warfighting, and that all other distractions are just that: distractions,” said Sulzona.LaNeve and soldiers from the 82nd Airborne taking part in the All American Run at Fort Bragg in 2023.At the same time, LaNeve was perceived by some of his subordinates to be pushing Biden-era policies that Trump and Hegseth have decried as “woke,” such as allowing preferred pronouns and training on transgender identity and diversity initiatives, although much of that rhetoric was disregarded at lower levels of command. In June 2023, he signed a memo commemorating “pride month,” according to the letter.“We appreciate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ Paratroopers and understand that inequity and discrimination undermine diversity’s strategic advantage and our core mission,” according to the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by WSJ.U.S. and Army officials defended LaNeve’s decision to sign the memo, explaining that the previous administration demanded he do so.‘Central casting’LaNeve didn’t serve the full two-year tour as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. He was promoted early and moved to South Korea to command the Eighth Army in January 2025. There, LaNeve received a tasking that would change the course of his career: The Pentagon was looking for an overseas unit to do a video call for an inaugural ball of Trump’s second term and had settled on Eighth Army.LaNeve’s appearance, flanked by dozens of soldiers, impressed the commander in chief. “Welcome back, Mr. President,” LaNeve said, reciting a script that had been vetted before the event, according to U.S. Army officials.“Is this man central casting, or what?” Trump asked the ballroom’s crowd.LaNeve was already in the mix to take over as Hegseth’s senior military assistant, according to Kellogg, who said he recommended that the incoming defense secretary interview LaNeve before the inauguration.During the interview, Hegseth was impressed by LaNeve’s record and his alignment with the Pentagon chief’s plans for the military, according to current and former officials familiar with Hegseth’s thinking. His strong interview performance, and the fact that the president had complimented his video appearance, gave LaNeve the edge, the people said.LaNeve later endeared himself to Hegseth with his work ethic, direct approach to problems and his ability to provide an experienced military perspective, officials s aid. Last year, LaNeve was a strong supporter of the Pentagon chief’s controversial September move to end shaving waivers for almost all troops, according to one of the officials.Since he became Pentagon chief last year, Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least eight senior Army generals, including George.LaNeve became the main beneficiary of these changes, as some of those pushed out cleared a path for his rise.“Gen. LaNeve is precisely the kind of leader the U.S. Army needs right now. He’s decisive, focused on strengthening our Army, and not interested in playing politics in Washington. He is a back-to-basics, no politics, no-nonsense General—exactly what President Trump expects,” Hegseth said.Write to Lara Seligman at lara.seligman@wsj.com and Dan Lyon at dan.lyon@wsj.comStay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.See Less