The Defense Department is poised for another shake-up as Joe Kasper, the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is reportedly preparing to exit his role.
This development follows a series of administrative leaves involving senior officials linked to intelligence leaks. According to a senior administration official who spoke with Politico, Kasper's departure is expected imminently.
Earlier in the week, Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser, Darin Selnick, Hegseth's Deputy Chief of Staff, and Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, were all placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into these leaks.
As reported by the Daily Caller, a senior Defense official stated, "At this time no final senior staffing changes have been decided, and the secretary will make any future announcements on his own timetable." The situation remains fluid, with no definitive decisions yet announced regarding the department's leadership.
Kasper had initiated an inquiry into the Pentagon's leaks back in March, though it remains unclear if this investigation is directly tied to the recent dismissals. A defense official informed Politico of Kasper's strained relations with the three advisors who were dismissed, stating, "Joe didnt like those guys. They all have different styles. They just didnt get along. It was a personality clash."
The Pentagon has been grappling with persistent leak issues, notably when Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira disseminated hundreds of classified documents on a private Discord server in March 2023. Teixeira received a 15-year federal prison sentence for his actions in April.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense Inspector General is also examining Secretary Hegseth's potential involvement in a leaked Signal group chat concerning military strategies against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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