In a surprising move, President Donald Trump has stepped in to facilitate the retirement of Ricky Buria, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, from the U.S. Marine Corps with the rank of colonel.
This intervention bypasses a federal law that mandates military officers to hold a rank for three years before retiring from it. As reported by The Washington Post, Buria's retirement was formalized earlier this month, and barring any disciplinary actions, he will officially be recognized as a retired colonel, despite having held the rank only since November 2024.
The President's intervention is permissible under the law in cases of "extreme hardship or exceptional or unusual circumstances." An anonymous source informed the Post that this waiver will not inflate Buria's government pension, which is calculated based on his highest three years of pay during his Marine Corps career.
This decision by Trump allows 43-year-old Buria to retain his recent military rank, a factor that could be significant in his future career. The Pentagon, when asked about whether Buria would receive the waiver, declined to comment, directing all inquiries to the White House.
Joel Valdez, a Pentagon spokesperson, acknowledged Buria's service, stating that he has "served our country for over 20 years" and that "a grateful nation always thanks its veterans and active duty service members." Buria, a Marine Corps pilot, has served in deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, Trump's intervention marks a change in the administration's stance on Buria. Previously, the administration had blocked his permanent appointment as Hegseth's chief of staff due to his past criticisms of the president and Vice President JD Vance. Despite being a holdover from the Biden administration, Buria became Hegseth's acting chief of staff following the reassignment of Joe Kasper to another Pentagon position. His permanent approval for the role is still pending.
Buria has reportedly been instrumental in encouraging Hegseth to dismiss several high-ranking personnel amid ongoing leak investigations. A critic of Buria told the New York Post that Hegseth was promoting a "Democrat who does not share the Vice President's or the President's worldview and who weaponized his position to push out internal rivals, including people who had very strong histories of being supporters of the MAGA agenda."
Earlier this year, Buria publicly criticized Trump's decision to use Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for deportations and the use of military aircraft to remove illegal immigrants, calling it a "dumb waste of money." He has also disparaged Vance's views as "wackamamie crazy" and "isolationist," according to the New York Post.
In April, Buria submitted his retirement paperwork while hoping to secure the position of Hegseth's chief of staff, a role he continues to hold on an acting basis. He previously served as a junior military assistant to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and gained Hegseth's trust after being retained as a military aide when Trump returned to Washington.
The implications of Buria's retirement and the President's intervention remain to be seen. However, it is clear that Buria's career, marked by both commendable service and controversy, continues to be a topic of interest in the political sphere. His future endeavors, whether within or outside the Pentagon, will undoubtedly be closely watched.
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