2004 Sackings

The 2004 Sackings refer to the controversial firing of half of the members of the Imperial Army and Navy General Staffs on December 17th, 2004 by then-War Minister Andrew Teitelbaum, with the support of President Garrett Holleran.

By 2004, the General Staffs of the Imperial Army and Navy had become a stop of career advancement by the longevity of existing members. The Army General Staff average age was 76, and the Navy General Staff had an average of 79. These members had not seen field commands in decades, and as the world entered the post-Cold War era in the early 2000s, these aged military commanders were stymying modern military reforms and denying a new, younger generation of up-and-coming capable military officers from sitting on the General Staff in each service branch.

As Holleran's presidency was coming to a close, he wanted to use his lame-duck status to clear the senior military brass to allow way for the new generation, and on December 17th, 2004, he signed an presidential decree drafted by his War Minister, Andrew Teitelbaum, firing half of both General Staffs. Among those who lost their membership in the senior military council was famed Generals Oren Ben-Asher, a hero of the Nazali War, Yisroel Levy, a former top military adviser to President Julian Settas, and Norm Edelman, a veteran of the Great War who was the oldest member at age 88.

The actions sent a shock through the Imperial military, with a mixture of excitement and mourning over the removal of aged but highly-respected leaders. To retain their dignity, Holleran allowed them to serve in other posts, such as professorships at military academies or honorary chairmen of presidential commissions on military affairs.

The Sacking is thought to have assisted in the rise of Zalman Yitzchak Katz to War Minister under President Eli Goldman.