The Department of Defense confirmed on Tuesday that one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s top advisors was placed on administrative leave and escorted out of the Pentagon due to an “unauthorized disclosure” of information.
An anonymous U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday that Dan Caldwell, a Pentagon advisor who previously worked for Hegseth at the Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America think tank, had been escorted out of the Pentagon and placed on administrative leave amid the Pentagon’s investigation into internal leaks at the Department of Defense. An official later confirmed to Fox News that Reuters’s report was accurate; however, the official did not provide a comment on the active investigation.
Last month, Department of Defense Chief of Staff Joe Kasper issued a memorandum on “Efforts to Combat Unauthorized Disclosures.”
Kasper said, “Recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications with principals within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) demand immediate and thorough investigation.”
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In the memorandum, the Department of Defense chief of staff explained that the Pentagon would be using polygraphs to help identify the source of the recent leaks.
“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” Kasper stated. “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.”
Kasper added, “I expect to be informed immediately if this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure, and that such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution.”
According to Fox News, Caldwell’s importance as a top advisor for the secretary of defense was demonstrated in the recent Signal chat leak regarding the U.S. strikes against the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen in March. In the leaked Signal chat, Hegseth identified Caldwell as the Pentagon’s point of contact for the military strikes.
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