Pete Hegseth Loses Yet Another Top Pentagon Aide
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Pete Hegseth Loses Yet Another Top Pentagon Aide
Pentagon appoints a new chief of staff for the first time in more than a decade. The new chief will be responsible for managing the Pentagon’s budget for the next two years. The move comes after a series of high-profile resignations and firings from the Pentagon. The most recent of these was the resignation of former Chief of Staff for the Defense Department, Peter Bergen. Bergen said he was “disappointed’ in the decision to replace Bergen with another senior staff member, and that he was looking forward to a new challenge.
The latest person to quit is senior staffer and Hegseth adviser Justin Fulcher, though the exact circumstances surrounding his departure are unclear.
According to three sources who spoke to CBS News, Fulcher was “ousted.” But in a text message to The Washington Post, Fulcher claimed that his departure was “perfectly amicable” and that he had always planned to remain within the department for just six months.
Fulcher was promoted to his role at the Pentagon from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in April.
His promotion was announced in April as part of the establishment of a new department leadership team that included Patrick Weaver, Marine Col. Ricky Buria, and chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
The new leadership team was created after Hegseth fired three of his top aides following a probe into the Signalgate leaks.
Deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, senior adviser Dan Caldwell, and chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, Colin Carroll, were all placed on leave before ultimately being terminated in April. Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, was transitioned to a new role as a special government employee handling “special projects.”
The numerous personnel changes in April caused chaos at the Pentagon, with one defense official telling Politico, “There is a complete meltdown in the building, and this is really reflecting on the secretary’s leadership.” The official also worried that Hegseth “has surrounded himself with some people who don’t have his interests at heart.”
Hegseth was forced to initiate an investigation after his department experienced several leaks, including information regarding Elon Musk’s visit to China, the disclosure of military plans for the Panama Canal, the decision to pause intelligence gathering regarding Ukraine, and the movement of a U.S. carrier in the Red Sea.
Fulcher told The Post that he was thankful to Hegseth, President Donald Trump, and “the extraordinary civilians and service members who turn vision into action every day.”
“Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense has been incredibly inspiring,” Fulcher added.
Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-hegseth-loses-yet-another-top-pentagon-aide/