Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of the Army, ordered the dismissal of a senior Army public affairs officer who served under former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Secretary Hegseth instructed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to dismiss Colonel Dave Butler, a public affairs officer who had served as a strategic advisor and spokesperson for the Army leadership.

Butler ultimately decided to submit his retirement papers rather than remain on active duty while his name was delaying the announcement of further Army promotions.

According to the Washington Post, Butler was one of about 30 Army officers whose promotions had been delayed for months.

Officials told the Washington Post that Hegseth objected to Butler's promotion to brigadier general for unspecified reasons, and that Butler's retirement was intended to prevent further delays in other officers' promotions.

In a statement quoted by The Washington Post, Driscoll praised Butler's service but did not comment on the circumstances of his resignation.

"I am deeply grateful for Colonel Dave Butler’s lifetime of service to the U.S. Army and the nation," Driscoll said. "Colonel Dave was an essential and important player in the Army’s efforts to modernize."

The New York Times reported that it is unusual for the Secretary of the Army to be directly involved in the dismissal of an Army spokesperson, and that Secretary Hegseth has not hidden his animosity towards Chairman Milley, a frequent target of President Donald Trump.

Milley has been under intense scrutiny from Trump's inner circle since the first term of President Trump, and the Washington Post pointed out that Hegseth had already taken administrative actions, including suspending his security clearance, dismissing his security detail, and ordering an investigation into his past actions through the Department of Defense Inspector General.

Fox News cited military officials as reporting that Butler agreed to have his name removed from the promotion list if it would "open the door" for others' promotions.

The outlet reported that the list's announcement had been delayed for nearly four months because Secretary Hegseth had expressed concerns about several officers selected by an Army board, but that the Secretary did not have the legal authority to dismiss them.

Driscoll had reportedly resisted calls to dismiss Butler for months, citing his role in the Army's modernization efforts and his experience leading major events such as the Army's 250th-anniversary celebration and a large military parade in Washington.

The reports come as Hegseth pursues a shake-up of the Army's leadership, with supporters arguing that the move is necessary to restore accountability and ensure the military focuses on warfighting readiness rather than politics.

Butler, widely regarded as one of the Army's most skilled communicators, served with the U.S. Army's Delta Force from 2010 to 2014, conducting numerous missions overseas and serving alongside the nation's special operations forces.

He served as public affairs officer for the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 2015 to 2018. He also served as the public affairs officer for General Scott Miller during his tenure as commander of JSOC from 2016 to 2018, and later accompanied him to Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019 at General Miller's request.

Butler served as the spokesman and public affairs chief for all U.S. and NATO forces during Miller's time as the top four-star general in Afghanistan.

Given this background, some are calling this dismissal a political purge.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, U.S. NNP / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com