Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper will be stepping down from his current role and reassigned to another position within the Pentagon, Politico first reported on Saturday.
News of Kasper’s departure comes during a tumultuous week for Hegseth as multiple high-level personnel have been dismissed amidst ongoing leak investigations. Senior advisor to the secretary of defense Dan Caldwell, the Pentagon’s deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, were all escorted out of the building by security this week and relieved of their duties of Friday.
A senior defense official who spoke to the outlet on a condition of anonymity said the tension between Kasper and the now fired employees had been percolating for some time. “Joe didn’t like those guys,” said one defense official. “They all have different styles. They just didn’t get along. It was a personality clash.”
“There is a complete meltdown in the building, and this is really reflecting on the secretary’s leadership,” said another senior defense official. “Pete Hegseth has surrounded himself with some people who don’t have his interests at heart.”
The recent firings stem from breakdowns in communication in which information was leaked to press outlets involving military plans for the Panama Canal, the Red Sea, and a trip by DOGE head Elon Musk to discuss China and U.S. provided intelligence for Ukraine, the outlet reported.
Hegseth’s political opponents view the recent shakeups as evidence Hegseth lacks the necessary skills to manage such a massive entity like the Pentagon. Chris Meagher, who served as assistant Defense Secretary for Public Affairs during the Biden administration said, “Everyone knew that Pete Hegseth did not possess the leadership qualities, background, or experience to be Secretary of Defense,” adding, “Everything we’ve seen since then – the firing of several American heroes because of a perceived lack of loyalty, the sloppiness of Signalgate, the complete lack of transparency, and now several political staff being shown the door – has only confirmed he doesn’t have what it takes to lead.”
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