Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is spending his time on issues “well below his pay grade,” an analyst recently told The Atlantic, after the apparent ousting of yet another military official.
Hegseth recently ordered the removal of Col. Dave Butler, a longtime public affairs official for the U.S. Army, according to multiple news outlets, including The Atlantic and The Washington Post. Butler worked in several roles, including as a spokesperson for Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Over the last year, it appears Hegseth has fired several top military officials because of perceived disloyalty or ties to perceived political enemies, according to The Atlantic. Now, after this latest incident, the outlet reports Hegseth has started reaching even lower in the ranks.
“The secretary of defense is spending his time doing things that those well below his pay grade should be doing. And he is not doing the things that only the secretary of defense can do,” Kori Schake, the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Atlantic.
The Atlantic reports Hegseth’s push to remove Butler may have been influenced by the colonel’s ties to Milley.
Milley has long clashed with Trump and his allies, particularly after he apologized for appearing alongside the president during his controversial photo-op at Lafayette Square during the George Floyd protests in 2020.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Milley — and even suggested he could be executed for committing treason in 2023. Milley denied the accusations at the time and said he was taking “appropriate measures” to ensure his safety in the wake of Trump’s comments.
Then, in January 2025, shortly after Trump was sworn in for his second term, Milley’s portrait was reportedly removed from the Pentagon.
The Independent has contacted the Defense Department for comment. The Independent was unable to reach Butler for comment. Butler has declined to comment on the matter to other news outlets.
In a statement shared with the Post, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Butler was retiring and expressed gratitude for his service. The outlet reports Butler filed his retirement paperwork shortly after hearing about Hegseth’s order.
“We greatly appreciate Col. Dave Butler’s lifetime of service in America’s Army and to our nation,” he said. “Dave has been an integral part of the Army’s transformation efforts. He will be missed and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service.”
