WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to remove one of his top advisers, Col. David Butler, several local media outlets reported Tuesday.

Hegseth directed Driscoll to fire Butler --who was in line to receive his first star -- during a discussion at the Pentagon last week, according to the reports.

It is unclear why Hegseth took issue with Butler.

Butler was one of more than 30 Army officers in line for promotion, but Hegseth has raised objections to several names on the list, delaying the advancement process for weeks, reports said.

Butler withdrew his name from consideration and filed for retirement, aiming to clear the way for other officers to move forward with their promotions.

"We greatly appreciate Col. Dave Butler’s lifetime of service in America’s Army and to our nation.

"Dave has been an integral part of the Army’s transformation efforts. He will be missed, and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service," Driscoll was quoted as saying, according to reports.