Vice President Joe Biden's son was booted from the Navy Reserve because he tested positive for drugs, it was revealed on Thursday.

A U.S. official told NBC News that Hunter Biden was kicked out of the Reserve earlier this year after he failed a drug test.

The official said Biden failed the test in 2013, but he was not kicked out until Feb. 14 of this year. Senior U.S. officials told NBC News that Biden, 44, tested positive for cocaine. The Wall Street Journal first reported the incident.

According to one official, Biden’s dismissal from the Naval Reserves was not made public "because he was treated like any other sailor who fails a drug test and is thrown out of the Navy." The official said the services do not routinely report such cases.

Hunter Biden, who is married with three kids, issued a statement Thursday evening through his lawyer, saying: "It was the honor of my life to serve in the US Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward."

Biden was commissioned in the Navy Reserves in 2012 as an Ensign and was pursuing a public affairs track. He had to get a waiver because of his age at the time of his commissioning.

Vice-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden walk in the Inaugural Parade January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. David McNew / Getty Images, file

— Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube