🚨 Hegseth Orders Top Army Official Fired — Major Shake-Up

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his role as chief of Army public affairs and senior adviser, according to a report from Fox News.

The directive comes as Driscoll is currently in Geneva, where he is participating in U.S.-led negotiations tied to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Butler, a seasoned officer with deep experience in military communications, previously served as public affairs chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. He had been selected for promotion to brigadier general and appeared on the Army’s promotion list for two consecutive years.

However, that promotion list has been stalled for nearly four months after Hegseth raised objections to several officers included by the Army selection board. Under federal law, the defense secretary cannot directly remove individual names once a promotion list has been formally submitted.

According to an Army official cited in the report, Butler offered to voluntarily withdraw his name from consideration in an effort to allow the broader promotion process to move forward.

Driscoll — an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance — had reportedly resisted pressure from Hegseth for months, citing Butler’s key role in advancing Army transformation efforts.

“We greatly appreciate COL Dave Butler’s lifetime of service to the Army and our nation,” Driscoll said in a statement. “He has been instrumental in shaping the Army’s modernization, and I wish him every success as he prepares to retire after 28 years of service.”

Fox News also reported that Butler accompanied Driscoll to Ukraine in November 2025 to help initiate peace discussions, with Hegseth’s latest push for his removal coming late last week.

Since taking leadership at the Pentagon in 2025, Hegseth has moved aggressively to reshape senior military leadership — removing or pressuring several high-ranking officials into early retirement, often without publicly stated reasons. Among those affected are Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Gen. CQ Brown, Gen. James Mingus, Gen. Douglas Sims, Gen. David Allvin, Gen. James Slife, and Gen. Timothy Haugh.

Butler, widely regarded as one of the Army’s most effective communicators, built his reputation through years of service alongside elite special operations forces. From 2010 to 2014, he was embedded with the Army’s Delta Force, followed by a key communications role with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg.

He later deployed to Afghanistan at the request of Gen. Scott Miller, serving as chief spokesman and communications director for U.S. and NATO forces during Miller’s command.

A retired four-star general described Butler as “a consummate professional and one of the most capable public affairs officers” he had ever worked with, highlighting his expertise in strategic communications.

In 2025, during celebrations marking the Army’s 250th anniversary, President Donald Trump personally recognized Butler for his role in organizing a major military parade in Washington, D.C.

Separately, in December, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Hegseth and the Trump administration regarding the reinstatement of a policy barring transgender individuals from serving in the military. The panel also criticized a lower court ruling that had previously blocked the policy.

The move to remove Butler now underscores ongoing tensions within Pentagon leadership, as Hegseth continues efforts to assert control over military priorities and personnel decisions.