Hegseth Forces Removal of Col Butler From Army Public
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army public affairs on Thursday, according to Fox News. Butler, who had served as public affairs chief under Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and was slated for promotion to brigadier general, had volunteered to withdraw his name from the promotion list to help unlock other pending officer advancements that Hegseth has blocked for nearly four months.
Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance, resisted Hegseth’s pressure to remove Butler for months due to Butler’s contributions to Army transformation efforts. Butler has extensive experience in military communications, having served as public affairs officer for Joint Special Operations Command from 2015 to 2018 and as chief spokesman for all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan under Gen. Scott Miller. A former four-star commander described Butler as “the consummate professional” and “the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with.”
Hegseth entered the Pentagon in 2025 and immediately removed or forced into early retirement numerous senior military leaders without stated cause, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti (chief of naval operations), Gen. CQ Brown (chairman of the Joint Chiefs), Gen. James Mingus (vice chief of the Army), Gen. Douglas Sims (director of the Joint Staff), and others. This pattern of unexplained dismissals has created fear and reluctance among senior officers to speak openly.
Butler, who is retiring after 28 years of service, had traveled with Driscoll to Ukraine in November 2025 to help initiate peace negotiations. President Trump publicly recognized Butler by name during the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations in 2025 for organizing the Washington, D.C. parade. Driscoll stated in a statement that he “greatly appreciate[s]” Butler’s “lifetime of service” and his role in the Army’s transformation.