While there have been several recent high-profile cases of military officers being disciplined for social media activity, the most prominent recent incident involves Marine Captain Jacoby Williamson, who was relieved of duty in September 2025.
Below are the most notable recent cases of officers and senior leaders being fired or suspended due to social media posts:
Marine Captain Jacoby Williamson (September 2025): Fired from recruiting duty after allegedly sharing an Instagram post mocking the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The post featured a caption stating, “Another racist man popped,” which Marine Corps officials stated did not align with their core values.
Army Colonel Scott Stephens (September 2025): Suspended by the Pentagon following reports that he also made controversial social media posts regarding the death of Charlie Kirk. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the Department of War has “zero tolerance” for personnel mocking the assassination of fellow Americans.
Army Colonel Nate McCormack (June 2025): Removed from his role at the Pentagon after a series of anti-Israel social media posts surfaced. Operating under the alias “Nate,” McCormack had posted assessments and opinions critical of U.S. foreign policy and Israeli military actions that were deemed to violate Pentagon social media guidelines.
Army Colonel Shayla Bea Ramirez (April 2025): Suspended as commander of Fort McCoy following social media outrage over a “chain of command wall” that was missing official portraits of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Defense Secretary Hegseth.
U.K. Army Signallers Zakariya Munir and Mohammed Salah (July 2025): Both were dismissed from the British Army for sharing graphic and “dodgy” videos on social media, including footage of the October 7 attacks and