Retired Marine Corps Col. Ricky Buria, whose bid to become War Secretary Pete Hegseth's permanent chief of staff was previously blocked by the White House after internal clashes, is now taking the role.
Buria, a junior military aide under Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, had been acting chief of staff since Joe Kasper left in the spring, shortly after a wave of firings of Hegseth senior aides.
Pentagon officials attributed the firings to a leak investigation. Several of the aides contested their dismissals.
Buria updated his LinkedIn profile on Friday to note the change from "senior adviser" to chief of staff. He is expected to formally begin the role in the spring, Politico reported.
Hegseth tried to make Buria his official chief of staff this past spring but was blocked by the White House personnel office, according to Politico.
At the time, White House officials were said to be concerned about Buria's past public criticism of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Buria recently tried unsuccessfully to oust fellow Hegseth senior aide Patrick Weaver. Buria also sought to fire Matt McNitt, the White House's liaison to the Pentagon, but McNitt kept his job.
In late summer, the White House renewed its search for a chief of staff for Hegseth after Buria's dustup with McNitt, who told him he would never get the job, according to Politico.
Buria, an MV-22 Osprey pilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, retired from the Marines after 20 years of service.
Biden administration officials were reportedly flabbergasted when Buria, who worked closely with Austin, abruptly set aside a promising future in uniform to retire from the military and take on a political role alongside Hegseth.
"Secretary Hegseth has put together an all-star team, and we are proud of our historic accomplishments," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to Politico.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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