New Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also revoked Milley’s security detail.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) officials have revoked the security clearance of retired Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who served as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer during President Donald Trump’s first term, the Pentagon said on Jan. 28.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed Milley on Tuesday that he was revoking the authorization for his security detail as well as suspending his security clearance, a spokesman for the Pentagon told news outlets.
“The Secretary has also directed the DOD IG to conduct an inquiry into the facts and circumstances surrounding Gen Milley’s conduct so that the Secretary may determine whether it is appropriate to reopen his military grade review determination,” the spokesman said.
A spokesperson for the DOD inspector general’s office told The Epoch Times that the office has received Hegseth’s request and is reviewing it.
Milley did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
Joe Kasper, the chief of staff for Hegseth, said the actions were taken because “undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership.”
Milley, 66, was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2019 until September 2023. Trump nominated him to the post.
Milley has faced criticism for telling a Chinese general that the United States was not going to attack China, a move Trump has said was treasonous. Milley also told troops at his retirement ceremony that “[W]e don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator” and “We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it.”
Trump previously removed Milley from an advisory committee.
Milley has protection against criminal charges for his actions because President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon to him earlier this year.
