Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's inner circle experienced another significant shake-up amid ongoing tension at the Pentagon.
According to the New York Post, Joe Kasper, who recently stepped down as Hegseth's chief of staff, has decided to leave the Department of Defense entirely and transition to the private sector, marking another high-profile departure in a series of recent staff changes.
The departure follows Kasper's involvement in launching an investigation into unauthorized leaks of classified information at the Pentagon. His exit coincides with the controversial dismissal of three senior Pentagon officials who were escorted from the building last week, highlighting growing internal conflicts within the department's leadership.
Defense Secretary Hegseth's explosive reaction to news leaks reached a boiling point during a confrontation with military leadership. His anger was particularly directed at the unauthorized disclosure of Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk's March visit to the Pentagon, which appeared in the New York Times.
The situation escalated when Hegseth reportedly confronted Admiral Christopher Grady, the then-acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The encounter revealed the intensity of the secretary's determination to identify the source of the leaks.
Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, also faced similar confrontational treatment from Hegseth, who threatened both officials with polygraph tests. These dramatic exchanges underscore the deteriorating relationships within the Pentagon's top brass.
The dismissed officials—Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick—released a joint statement defending their integrity. In their words:
All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it. At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of 'leaks' to begin with.
Sources familiar with the situation suggest that the dismissals stemmed from a power struggle involving Kasper. The former chief of staff reportedly felt threatened as his responsibilities were increasingly delegated to Selnick and Caldwell, particularly in areas such as appointment recommendations and high-level visit planning.
Kasper's March memo had suggested the possibility of implementing polygraph tests as part of the leak investigation. However, it remains unclear whether any staff members actually underwent such testing during the probe.
The investigation's scope extended beyond just the Musk visit leak. Kasper's memo indicated a broader concern about the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified information throughout the Department of Defense.
The situation has created significant uncertainty within the Pentagon's leadership structure. The departure of multiple senior officials within a short period has raised questions about the stability of Hegseth's team and its ability to maintain effective operations.
Joe Kasper's departure from the Pentagon marks a significant development in an ongoing internal conflict that has resulted in multiple high-level dismissals and allegations of unauthorized information leaks. The situation began with concerns over leaked information about Elon Musk's Pentagon visit and evolved into a broader investigation of potential security breaches.
The controversy has led to the removal of three senior Pentagon officials and exposed tensions within Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership team. With Kasper's decision to leave for the private sector and the Pentagon's silence on the matter, questions remain about the long-term implications for the Department of Defense's internal operations and leadership structure.
