Pentagon's chaotic week: US Army commander suspended after astonishing insult to Trump, Vance and Hegseth

The US Army has suspended Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, garrison commander of Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. The commander of Fort McCoy was relieved of duty after the US Army base failed to install photos of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a wall displaying their chain of command. The Pentagon has had a chaotic past week, with several top staffers let go following an investigation into leaks.

Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez was suspended as garrison commander of Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin. "This suspension is not related to any misconduct," the U.S. Army Reserve Command said in a statement, "We have no further details to provide at this time while this matter is under review."

The Pentagon has had a chaotic past week, with several top staffers let go following an investigation into leaks.The Pentagon also fired four former top staffers after a department investigation into leaks.


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US Army suspends commander of Fort McCoy

Hegseth on Sunday reposted an X post claiming: "Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command board was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED."

It came after the Defense Department (DOD) announced a probe into why a wall displaying the chain of command had empty frames on the wall where Trump, Vance and Hegseth’s images would typically be displayed.

A new image posted of the wall showed the frames had been filled.

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“Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy…. WE FIXED IT! Also, an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened,” the department’s rapid response account posted on X.

Ramirez assumed the garrison commander role in July last year. Previously, she had served as chief of the Reserve Program, United States Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and in other roles throughout the Army and Army Reserves.

The move came after a series of leadership shake-ups across the U.S. military. Earlier this month, the Pentagon fired the base commander for Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland after she "undermined" Vance.

Following the vice president’s visit, Col. Susannah Meyers sent an email to base personnel on March 31, stating: “I do not claim to fully understand current political dynamics, but I do know that the concerns expressed by Vice President Vance on Friday do not represent the views of Pituffik Space Base.”

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She went on to say that she had “spent the weekend reflecting on Friday’s visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and the impact it may have had on each of you.”

In a public statement, the Space Force announced that Meyers had been relieved of her command “due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”

“Commanders are held to the highest standards of conduct, particularly when it comes to maintaining nonpartisanship in the execution of their duties,” the statement said.