A career Army public affairs officer who had been in line to become a general will instead retire amid reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wanted him gone.
Col. Dave Butler had been serving as the Army’s chief of public affairs and was a top advisor to Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll when he was ousted. It was the latest in a string of high-profile firings in the Pentagon since President Trump’s return to the White House.
“After 28 years of dedicated service, Col. Dave Butler is immediately transitioning from his position as Chief of Army Public Affairs to retire,” Cynthia O. Smith, an Army spokeswoman, told The Washington Times. “His integral role in the Army’s transformation efforts will be missed, and we wish him tremendous success.”
The Army did not elaborate on the nature of Col. Butler’s abrupt departure from the military.
Mr. Driscoll is reportedly in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is participating in high-stakes, U.S.-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. He is part of an American negotiation team that includes special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.
Col. Butler did not respond to questions from The Washington Times about his imminent retirement from the military. He was the head of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Gen. Mark Milley’s tenure as chairman. That was when his name was first added to the promotion list of potential brigadier generals.
Other senior military leaders who were fired or forced into early retirement after Mr. Hegseth came into office last year include Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who replaced Gen. Milley as J.C.S. chairman, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, and Gen. David Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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