'Far too casual': Quick rise of Hegseth's most trusted aide 'raised eyebrows' in Pentagon

A Marine Corps colonel who has rapidly risen into defense secretary Pete Hegseth's inner circle has been identified as a key player in the Signalgate scandal.

The defense secretary has been plagued by scandal since revelations last month that he had used the non-secure Signal app to discuss top-secret military plans, and CNN reported that a uniformed military aide surprised senior Pentagon by requesting an exception to department policy by allowing Hegseth to continue using the commercially available app for official business.

"The question came from Col. Ricky Buria, a former aide to previous Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who has rapidly established himself as a key member of Hegseth’s inner circle, multiple people familiar with the matter told CNN. The Signal inquiry raised eyebrows among other senior Pentagon officials, who wondered whether the request was appropriate — especially from a uniformed officer, rather than Hegseth’s civilian chief of staff."

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It's not clear whether Hegseth was granted an exception, but the Washington Postreported that he directed the installation of the encrypted app on a desktop Pentagon computer as a workaround to allow him to continue using Signal in a classified setting, but a department spokesman denied reports of his use of the app for official duties.

“The Secretary of Defense’s use of communications systems and channels is classified," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. "However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer.”

Buria is a career Marine with extensive combat experience who has served as junior military assistant to both former defense secretary Lloyd Austin and Hegseth, who had purged other "holdover" officials but quickly gained trust in Buria.

“He likes that Ricky does what he asks and gets him what he needs,” said a defense official, who added that Hegseth appreciates his "yes, sir" attitude.

Buria submitted his retirement papers last week to ascend to his promotion as senior civilian adviser to Hegseth, who is even considering him as chief of staff after his previous top aide was moved to another role as a special government employee handling "special projects," but current and former officials questioned his experience for such a demanding role.

“It’s certainly an unlikely path, to move from the military assistant to a political appointee,” said a second former senior DOD official. “I can’t think of another case.”

“You need someone with a political background who understands the political context, someone who can call up a four-star and yell at them for not being on message or not doing things the right way,” said the first defense official. “I think that’s the biggest concern … do we really think [CENTCOM commander] Erik Kurilla is going to take Ricky seriously, as a recently retired colonel?”

Buria had essentially served as a "body man" for Austin, carrying his bags and staying out of frame in official photos, but he has quickly become one of Hegseth's closest advisers and friends, with access to his personal government phones, according to multiple sources, and sitting at the table with foreign leaders such as NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.

“He’s gotten far too casual with them, and presents too unprofessionally,” said a current official.

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