Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce the immediate rescission of the personal security detail and security clearance for former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, several news outlets report.
The Trump administration is also aiming to get Milley demoted in retirement. Hegseth is expected to direct the Pentagon’s new acting Inspector General to conduct a review board to see if enough evidence exists for the four-star general to be stripped of a star based on his actions to “undermine the chain of command” during President Trump’s first term, multiple senior administration officials told Fox News, which first reported on the plan.
Additionally, a second portrait of Milley inside the Pentagon will be removed as soon as Tuesday night. That portrait sits in the Army’s Marshall Corridor on the third floor and honors Milley’s service as a former chief-of-staff of the Army. The first portrait of him, which was removed just hours after President Trump was sworn into his second term on Jan. 20, depicted his time as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Taking down both Milley portraits means there will be no more imagery of him inside the Pentagon.
Defense Department officials declined to comment on the potential directives, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Milley have long had an acrimonious relationship, starting in Trump’s first term, when Milley apologized for accompanying Trump for a photo opportunity at Lafayette Square near the White House in 2020 during racial justice unrest in the nation’s Capitol.
Later, in the final days of Trump’s first term, Milley reportedly reassured Chinese officials there would be no threat to China without Trump’s knowledge amid fears of instability within the White House. The incident infuriated Trump to the point that he posted on Truth Social that Milley was “treasonous,” suggesting he be executed.
Since then, Trump has often vowed to take revenge against his enemies, naming Milley often as one such foe.
But Trump might be hard-pressed to stick Milley with any criminal charges, as the retired general was given a preemptive pardon issued by former President Biden on Jan. 20, his last day in office.
Milley – who in public and private has reportedly called Trump unintelligent and a “fascist to the core” – had been assigned personal security details since 2020 when Iran vowed revenge for the Trump-ordered drone strike killing of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani.
The removal of Milley’s security detail follows Trump’s decision last week to also end protective security details for his former national security adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his onetime deputy Brian Hook.
Milley served as Joint Chiefs chairman from 2019 to 2023 under both Trump and Biden and Army chief of staff from 2015 to 2019 under President Obama and Trump.
