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Heavy lifting<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
At the time, the rationale behind keeping him in the post was that Buria was relatively junior and the secretary couldn\u2019t fire everyone from the former team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hegseth later tapped Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, commander of the Eighth Army in South Korea, for the role. By serving in the position temporarily, Buria was filling an urgent gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRicky was only the SMA because he was the only guy standing,\u201d a defense official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the new role struck others as odd for a secretary who was firing so many officials promoted during the last administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest thing to note here is just how unusual it is for a Biden appointee, albeit a military officer, to be moved into this position,\u201d the first source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That concern grew while Buria became closer to Hegseth. As an assistant, Buria traveled with the secretary almost everywhere. And in Hegseth\u2019s many workout photos posted online, Buria is often right beside him \u2014 running nearby in one, standing behind an American flag in another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In private, too, Buria took on more of an advisory role. The secretary\u2019s senior military assistant is a crucial position, tasked with helping shape military strategy and serving as an ambassador to the Joint Chiefs, America\u2019s board of top military officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notwithstanding, Buria was offering input on a range of issues from personnel policy to public affairs to day-to-day operational plans, two sources said. In the secretary\u2019s calls with U.S. combatant commanders, Buria would share ideas on military strategy, at times to their annoyance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen he was conveying orders from the secretary to the COCOMs and to the Joint Staff, there was a lot of friction,\u201d said the first source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During Austin\u2019s time as secretary, Buria wouldn\u2019t be in the room for most sensitive meetings, including those with foreign counterparts. That\u2019s since changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the trip to Panama, Buria was present for talks with the country\u2019s government, including as the two sides discussed access to the Panama Canal. When El Salvador\u2019s defense minister visited Washington last week, Buria sat at the main table, two seats from Hegseth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buria\u2019s status has risen so quickly in part out of need. Hegseth\u2019s team has already been thin while waiting for new officials to be appointed or confirmed. Then, last week, the secretary fired his deputy chief of staff and a senior adviser, alongside the deputy secretary of defense\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a Tuesday interview with Fox & Friends, Hegseth\u2019s former network show, he confirmed his own chief of staff is also soon changing jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Multiple defense officials said Buria is being considered as a replacement, though some doubted that the White House personnel office \u2014 which has final say on staffing and vets appointees for disloyalty \u2014 would tap someone from the last administration to such a key job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others questioned whether a person so junior could handle the role. The chief of staff is one of the Pentagon\u2019s most senior positions, advising the secretary on everything from policy to managing the media to working with Congress. Those who enter the job often have political acumen and extensive time in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Late last week, Buria began an early retirement from the Marine Corps, entering terminal leave that will last through June. Normally, officers have a \u201ccooling off\u201d period before they can enter civilian roles, which can span years for those who held more senior ranks. That said, the requirement can be waived, and Buria is already transitioning into an advisory position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for Hegseth did not reply to questions asking whether Buria had already entered the job, who the current chief of staff is and whether Buria is a potential replacement. Buria couldn\u2019t be reached for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have never seen one of the military assistants make that shift\u201d from a uniformed to a civilian adviser, the former defense official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sunday, two days after beginning leave, Buria opened an account on the social media app X, where many of the secretary\u2019s advisers spend the day posting messages promoting their work at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/54457034560_bf2756151e_o.jpg.jpg\")
Easter message<\/h1>\n\n\n\n