On an unknown date, Trump allowed Marine Corps Colonel Ricky D. Buria, a top advisor of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to bypass legal requirements to retire from the military at a rank he only held briefly.
Trump allowed Buria to retire in contradiction with federal law, which requires most military officers to hold a rank for three years before they are able to retire with it; Buria only enjoyed the rank of colonel since November 2024. The only exception that may be granted is a waiver in the case of “extreme hardship or exceptional or unusual circumstances.”
There is no evidence that Buria has undergone extreme hardship, or that his case is extraordinary.
Although Buria had close ties with former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served under former President Biden, he quickly gained the trust of Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, who has bizarrely played a significant role in Pentagon affairs. Buria was involved in Signalgate, having set up a “special computer” in his Pentagon office, which, as Trumpfile has warned about before, presents a significant national security risk.
After Hegseth fired yet another woman without citing a reason, Air Force Lieutenant General Jennifer Short, Buria was temporarily promoted to a three-star general, dramatically increasing his sway and prestige in the Pentagon.
As of the time of writing, Buria has not gotten everything he would have wanted. The waiver is not expected to increase Buria’s pension. The White House has also blocked Buria from becoming Hegseth’s chief of staff. However, he held the role on an acting basis. Numerous senior military officers and other Pentagon employees have become infuriated with Buria’s self-promoting behavior and lack of professionalism.
As is the norm, Trump had no idea of what was happening in his own Pentagon.
Trump said in response to the question that he had “no idea” who Buria is, but “I would recommend that we don’t take him” if the reporting is true.
“I’ll take a look,” Trump said. “Buria? I’ll check it out.”
The Washington Post
Even before Buria officially retired from the Marines, Hegseth made him a senior advisor acting as the defense secretary’s chief of staff. It could be said that there are two exceptional reasons Buria had to retire from the Marines despite being a colonel for less than three years: naked careerism and corruption.
