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Pentagon Chief Orders Removal of Army Public Affairs Head Amid Promotion Controversy
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army Public Affairs and chief advisor to Driscoll, Fox News has learned. The directive comes while Driscoll is in Geneva participating in negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict.
Butler, who previously served as head of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs when Gen. Mark Milley was chairman, had been slated to receive his first star. His name appeared for two consecutive years on an Army list of 34 officers selected for promotion.
This promotion list has reportedly been delayed by Hegseth for nearly four months due to concerns about four to five officers selected by the Army board. According to an Army official, Butler volunteered to remove his name from the promotion list to help advance the other promotions, as Hegseth legally cannot remove specific officers from the list.
Sources indicate Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance with whom he attended Yale Law School, had resisted Hegseth’s pressure to fire Butler for months, citing Butler’s ongoing contributions to Army transformation efforts.
“We greatly appreciate COL Dave Butler’s lifetime of service in America’s Army and to our nation,” Driscoll said in a statement. “Dave has been an integral part of the Army’s transformation efforts and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service.”
Butler traveled with Driscoll to Ukraine in November 2025 to help initiate negotiations. Fox News has learned Hegseth’s demand for Butler’s removal came on Thursday.
Butler’s removal continues a pattern that has raised concerns within military leadership circles. Since entering the Pentagon in 2025, Hegseth has fired or forced into early retirement numerous top officers without providing specific reasons, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti (Chief of Naval Operations), General CQ Brown (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), and several other high-ranking military officials.
These unexplained dismissals have reportedly fostered an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among senior military leaders, creating reluctance to speak candidly.
Military colleagues describe Butler as one of the Army’s most effective communicators. His distinguished career includes serving alongside elite special operations units on numerous overseas missions with Army Delta Force from 2010 to 2014. He served as public affairs officer to Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg from 2015 to 2018, and worked as public affairs officer for Gen. Scott Miller during his time as Joint Special Operations Command commander.
At Miller’s request, Butler followed him to Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019, serving as chief spokesman and director of communications for all U.S. and NATO forces during Miller’s tenure as the top 4-star general in Afghanistan.
A former 4-star commander who once led U.S. Special Operations described Butler as “the consummate professional, the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with and a gifted practitioner of strategic communications.”
Butler’s contributions received presidential recognition during the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations in 2025, when President Donald Trump acknowledged him by name for his role in organizing the parade in Washington, D.C.
The removal comes at a sensitive time for military leadership and highlights ongoing tensions between political appointees and career military officials in the current administration. Military analysts suggest these disruptions could impact operational readiness and institutional knowledge at a time when the U.S. is engaged in delicate international negotiations.
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9 Comments
Removing the Army public affairs chief during the Ukraine conflict negotiations seems like it could have geopolitical implications. I wonder how this may impact communications and messaging around those efforts.
Interesting that the removed public affairs chief had previously served in a similar role under the previous Joint Chiefs chairman. I wonder if there are any connections or continuity between the two situations.
Interesting restructuring at the Pentagon. Removing the Army public affairs chief seems like a significant move. I wonder what the broader context and reasoning is behind this change.
Agreed, it’s worth paying attention to the reasons behind this personnel shift. Restructuring at senior leadership levels can have wide-ranging impacts.
The delay in promotions and concerns about certain officers is intriguing. I’d be curious to learn more about the specific issues or controversies that led to this decision.
Yes, the promotion controversy adds an extra layer of complexity. It will be interesting to see if more details emerge about the factors behind this delay and removal.
This story highlights the complex dynamics at play within the U.S. military and defense establishment. I’ll be following developments closely to better understand the rationale and potential impacts.
Absolutely, these types of leadership changes warrant close attention. The details and context behind them can often reveal important insights.
Reshuffling senior leadership within the Pentagon is always significant. I’m curious to see if this is part of a broader strategic shift or just an isolated personnel change.