WASHINGTON: New US Defe­nce Secretary Pete Hegseth, in one of his first acts in the job since being appointed by President Donald Trump, has revoked the personal security detail and security clearance for retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

Milley, who served as the top US military officer during some of Trump’s first presidential term, became a leading critic of him after retiring as a four-star general in 2023 during former President Joe Biden’s administration and has faced death threats.

Milley will also face an inquiry by the Pentagon inspector general’s office into his conduct that could lead to him being bumped down in rank.

Among other criticisms, Milley was quoted in the book “War” by journalist Bob Woodward published last year, calling Trump “fascist to the core.” The moves to punish Milley also included the removal of his two portraits in the Pentagon. Trump returned to the presidency on Jan 20.

The Senate narrowly confirmed Hegseth as defence secretary on Jan 25. The moves against Milley may have a chilling effect at the Pentagon for top brass, whose jobs call for them to provide unvarnished military advice even when it may run counter to policies they are tasked to execute.

The Pentagon said the decisions on Milley were meant to underscore the importance of the chain of command. Trump, as president, is commander in chief of the US military.

“Undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defence Department under President Trump’s leadership,” said Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper.

Flurry of orders

The actions were taken against Milley at a time when the Defence Department is mobilising to support the Republican president’s immigration crackdown and to conform to his conservative revamp of personnel policies.

These include executive orders that aim to ban transgender people from the armed forces, elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and to reinstate thousands of troops who were kicked out of the military for refusing orders to take Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Certain former government officials are given security details after retirement because of the threats they may face. Trump has taken away security details of other former officials since taking office, including for his former national security adviser John Bolton and for his former top diplomat Mike Pompeo.

In the aftermath of Trump’s supporters storming the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, Milley called China to reassure Beijing of US stability.

Trump, in a social media post, described the phone call as “an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH.” Some of Trump’s supporters, seeing Milley as disloyal to Trump, had wanted him called back to active duty and tried for treason.

Milley received a pardon from Biden on the last day of his presidency on Jan 20 in a move the outgoing president said was aimed at protecting him and others from political persecution. Hegseth has said he believes there are too many four-star generals and that nobody is above review.

“We won World War Two with seven four-star generals. Today we have 44 four-star generals,” Hegseth said at his confirmation hearing.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025