Overview
- Army officials said Butler is immediately transitioning to retirement after 28 years of service, ending his tenure as chief of Army public affairs and adviser to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
- Fox News and other outlets report Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed Driscoll to remove Butler, with the demand delivered last week as Driscoll worked in Geneva on Ukraine negotiations.
- Butler had been nominated for brigadier general and appeared on an Army list of 34 officers whose promotions have been held up for nearly four months, and he volunteered to withdraw to help unlock others’ promotions.
- The action extends a pattern in which Hegseth has fired or pushed out multiple senior leaders without public explanation, a trend reporters say has fostered fear and reluctance to speak up among top brass.
- Butler previously served as chief spokesman for Gen. Mark A. Milley and held senior JSOC and NATO public affairs roles, and current and retired officers described him in reports as a nonpartisan, highly regarded communicator.