The Pentagon has decided to revoke General Mark Milley’s security clearance and detail, marking a significant move against the recently retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has been a long-standing opponent of President Donald Trump during his new presidential term.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the news to Milley, revealing that the Pentagon is disconnecting his security detail and suspending his security clearance, as announced by Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot late Tuesday.

Additionally, Hegseth instructed the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General, which investigates internal matters, to look into the “facts and circumstances surrounding Gen. Milley’s conduct” to see if his security clearance should be reinstated, according to Ullyot.

Mollie Halpern, a spokesperson for the office, informed YSL News on Monday that the request is under review but declined to provide further comments.

Trump has accused Milley of treason, particularly for his direct communications with China to reassure his counterpart that the U.S. was not planning an attack during Trump’s initial term. Milley has stated that these calls were part of his responsibilities.

“Undermining the chain of command poses risks to our national security, and ensuring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump,” said Joe Kasper, the chief of staff for the Defense Department, in a statement released shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

Among his first executive actions, Trump revoked the security clearances of 50 former intelligence officials, including ex-CIA directors John Brennan and Michael Hayden, as well as former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Most of these individuals were accused by Republicans of discrediting critical reports about Hunter Biden.

Trump also cut federal funding for the security details of several political adversaries, which included Anthony Fauci, who led the COVID response in Trump’s first administration, and John Bolton, the former national security advisor.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that Trump believes Milley, Bolton, and others should not have permanent security clearances and protections.

“Regarding Gen. Milley, the president’s stance is consistent with his stance on John Bolton and others,” Leavitt stated. “He does not feel that these individuals should retain security clearances and personal protection indefinitely.”

“Taxpayer funds cover these costs,” she added. “The people you mentioned are quite wealthy and can fund their own private security if they desire.”

When asked if this action was punitive, Leavitt highlighted that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is concentrating on revitalizing the military.

“We’re focusing on effectiveness and rebuilding our military,” Leavitt emphasized. “This focus is something we have not seen in the last four years.”

Just under two hours after Trump took office, a portrait of Milley was inexplicably taken down from the Pentagon’s wall, but the Department declined to comment on the matter.

Milley given preemptive pardon after Trump’s threats

Milley faced backlash and thinly veiled threats from Trump for criticizing his response to the January 6 riot and for suggesting that Trump resembled a “wannabe dictator.”

In the hours leading up to Biden’s departure from office, he granted Milley a preemptive pardon, along with other adversaries of Trump, including Fauci and lawmakers on the committee that investigated the January 6 attack, such as Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney.

Milley expressed his “deep gratitude” for the pardon, stating, “I prefer not to spend any remaining time fighting against those who may unjustly seek vengeance for perceived offenses.”

Trump was outraged by a 2021 book authored by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, which disclosed that Milley had called his Chinese counterpart during Trump’s first term to reassure them that there were no intentions of a U.S. attack.

Milley defended himself by saying he was simply doing his duty.

However, Trump accused Milley of “treason,” and in a 2023 Truth Social post, insinuated that Milley deserved execution for making those calls.

“This is such a serious act that, in previous times, the consequence would have been DEATH!” he wrote. Milley noted he was taking “safety precautions” following Trump’s statement.

At his retirement ceremony later, Milley indirectly retaliated by asserting that servicemembers do not “swear allegiance to a wannabe dictator,” without directly naming Trump.

Milley informed the committee investigating the January 6 riot that he had refused an order from Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, to “establish the narrative” that Trump was in control and that everything was stable.

Reflecting on the Black Lives Matter protests that swept across Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2020, Milley admitted he made an error in joining Trump for a photo opportunity at a historic church after officers forcefully cleared peaceful demonstrators from Lafayette Square.

Contributing: Bart Jansen