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A top Pentagon official has been removed from his post after a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Getting into it: First reported by Fox News, Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army public affairs and senior adviser to the Army’s top leadership. Butler, a 28-year Army veteran, had been nominated for promotion to brigadier general and was serving as a key communications strategist for Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.

Butler was widely regarded as one of the Army’s most experienced public affairs officers. He previously served as chief spokesman for Gen. Mark Milley during Milley’s tenure as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and worked within Joint Special Operations Command, including assignments supporting elite units and deployments to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, he acted as the top communications official for US and NATO forces under Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, overseeing strategic messaging during the war.

As of now, no formal public explanation has been provided for Butler’s removal, though multiple reports have indicated his association with Milley, a frequent target of criticism from President Donald Trump and Hegseth, may have contributed to the decision. In a statement acknowledging Butler’s retirement, the Army praised his “lifetime of service” and described him as integral to transformation efforts but did not address the directive that led to his departure.

His removal comes amid a broader series of shake-ups within senior Pentagon leadership under Hegseth. Since taking office, Hegseth has forced out or overseen the departure of several high-ranking officers, including Gen. CQ Brown, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; and Gen. James Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff. Many of those officials, like Butler, had ties to Milley or served during his tenure.