Another top Hegseth adviser leaves the Pentagon
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tours an exhibit systems at the Pentagon. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images.
Justin Fulcher, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has left the Pentagon, Fulcher confirmed on Saturday.
Why it matters: Fulcher's departure marks at least the sixth senior-level staff to leave the Pentagon in recent months, following a series of scandals and a string of leaks within the Department of Defense.
- "As planned, I've completed 6 months of service in government to my country," Fulcher wrote on X, before listing several accomplishments that he was "proud to have witnessed."
- "The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told Axios in a statement. "We wish him well in his future endeavors."
Fulcher's exit comes a few months after Hegseth reportedly lashed out at him for actions the Defense Secretary viewed as overreach, The Washington Post reported last week.
- The Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the reported altercation.
Zoom out: Former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot was "asked to resign" earlier this year, writing an op-ed shortly after where he called the previous month a "full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon."
- Top officials Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick were fired as part of an investigation into "unauthorized disclosures" at the department.
- Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left his position for another role in the department in April, shortly after requesting an investigation into leaks at the Pentagon.
Between the lines: The Pentagon's string of leadership shakeups since Hegseth took the helm earlier this year has prompted questions about the former Fox News host's ability to lead the sprawling department.
- Hegseth has defended the goals of the Department of Defense under his leadership, saying in an April speech at the U.S. Army War College that "our overriding objectives have been clear: restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence."
- Those comments came months after Trump fired Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other senior military leaders in what was widely seen as an attempt to pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Go deeper: Naval Academy head is latest high-ranking woman ousted by Hegseth
