The office of Gen. Pierre de Villiers, chief of staff of the armed forces, said he submitted his resignation to Macron at a security council meeting Wednesday. Macron's office did not immediately comment.
De Villiers lashed out at new spending curbs during a closed-door parliamentary commission meeting last week, according to leaked reports.
Macron then publicly upbraided him, saying, "it is not dignified to air certain debates in the public sphere. I made commitments (to budget cuts). I am your boss."
Macron has promised to boost defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2025 as part of France's commitments to NATO, but his budget minister last week announced limits on this year's military expenses.
source: ap