The Biden administration has announced plans to intervene in the selection of the Pentagon’s chief of staff, effectively blocking the appointment of Ricky Buria, a former MV-22 pilot with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The decision follows persistent warnings about Buria’s troubling conduct and the power he has accumulated within the Pentagon.
Buria started his career working at the Pentagon as a junior military assistant (JMA) to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. His position gave him the opportunity to make deep relationships. In particular, he fostered a close relationship with Pete Hegseth, influential in the GOP and one-time television personality turned political operative. Their friendship grew even closer as Buria accompanied Hegseth and spent time at Hegseth’s home on Fort McNair.
Hegseth caught many observers off guard when he proposed that Buria be brought on as chief of staff. This happened immediately on the heels of Joe Kasper’s exit. This position, usually held by a three-star officer, put Buria directly in the line of bilateral meetings with foreign dignitaries. Unfortunately, even with Buria’s valuable qualifications, the White House presidential personnel office last year rejected his request for a political appointment.
While this was a major blow, Buria functioned in many ways like a political appointee, accumulating power in the office. On the day-to-day Recently he was promoted into the chief of staff’s office, where he started to redecorate, bringing in new cubicles and benches. Career civilian employees in the deputy defense secretary’s office have informally referred to him as the acting chief.
Buria’s time has not been controversy-free. He still hadn’t given up — he was exchanging directives in at least one Signal group chat. These messages were aimed at deterring sensitive U.S. missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Compounding this issue, he recently passed these as part of an extensive ongoing investigation into leaks.
The situation came to a head because Buria was put in an untenable position after Hegseth fired his boss, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short. Through this decision, Buria’s power continued to grow throughout the department. The White House did just take concrete steps to stop Hegseth from placing Buria in as chief of staff.
“Ricky will not be getting the chief position.” – A source familiar with deliberations
Amid these developments, an official with knowledge of the situation remarked, “There’s so much that’s not happening because no one is managing the front office.” The absence of leadership though, intentional or not, has called into question her ability to lead operations within the Pentagon.
It looks like Buria and White House negotiators have found a middle ground. He’ll welcome the administration’s decision on the new chief of staff, and remain in place long enough for that new person to serve as a senior adviser. In some ways this agreement represents the future power dynamics within the Pentagon. Simultaneously, it reiterates the administration’s drive to ensure a more predictable leadership pipeline.
As the landscape continues to shift, it is still anyone’s guess as to who eventually lands the chief of staff job. We expect the White House to announce its selected candidate in the coming weeks. This is an important move to restore functional order and clarity in the Pentagon’s top leadership.