WASHINGTON — Pentagon press secretary George Little announced Friday he will step down as the official voice of the Defense Department effective Nov. 15.

Little, formerly spokesman for the CIA, came to the Pentagon in 2011 when former CIA director Leon Panetta was confirmed as Secretary of Defense. Little remained in the job when current Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel came on board in February. In addition to press secretary, Little is also Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, and oversees the department’s vast public relations wing.

Little, who has made frequent international trips as part of his job and been on call for his bosses and the media around the clock for years, said in a written statement he looked forward to focusing on his family as he returns to the private sector.

“After over two years as Pentagon Press Secretary and over four years as CIA spokesman, I simply need to turn more of my focus to weekend soccer games, helping with school homework, and building Lego sets that demand a higher level of engineering expertise than I currently possess,” he said. “One of my immediate goals is to have a Blackberry-free Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in several years.”

Little said the search for his replacement was under way.

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