The Pentagon continues to shed staff under Trump-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with yet another senior aide exiting his position this week.
Senior staffer and adviser to Hegseth Justin Fulcher has exited his position, though the exact circumstances around 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.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast in a statement, “The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
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