Joe Kasper, the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is set to exit his role at the Pentagon following a tumultuous week that saw three of Hegseth’s top aides fired in connection with an internal probe into leaks.
Initially, reports indicated that Kasper would transition to another role within the Department of Defense. However, in an interview with Politico, Kasper confirmed he will instead depart his full-time post and return to work in government relations and consulting.
He will continue to support the Pentagon on a limited basis as a special government employee—a designation that permits him to perform temporary duties for up to 130 days per year.
The news comes amid growing tension and upheaval inside the Department of Defense. Last week, three close aides to Secretary Hegseth were either fired or placed on leave after being implicated in unauthorized information disclosures.
Among them was Dan Caldwell, a senior advisor to Hegseth, who was reportedly escorted out of the Pentagon after allegedly leaking sensitive material.
Caldwell was also a known participant in a private Signal chat group involving Rep. Mike Waltz and others, reportedly discussing defense-related matters.
In addition to Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll—chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg—were also removed from their posts and escorted out of the building as the leak investigation intensified.
While Kasper was not officially implicated in the leak probe, his role in the internal power struggles within the department has drawn scrutiny.
According to Fox News, Kasper reportedly harbored a “deep vendetta” against the aides who were dismissed last week, adding to speculation about the motives and behind-the-scenes tensions driving the shakeup.
Kasper has long been a prominent and sometimes controversial figure in Republican policy circles. Prior to joining Hegseth at the Pentagon, he had worked as a senior advisor and policy strategist, gaining a reputation as a staunch conservative and vocal critic of the defense bureaucracy.
His close alignment with Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran turned Trump-aligned defense chief, made him a key player in reshaping the Pentagon’s leadership structure after the 2024 election.
The recent purge of senior aides and Kasper’s departure signal deeper fractures inside the Department of Defense, which has faced multiple challenges in recent months—including internal dissent, high turnover, and increasing scrutiny from Congress.
The current upheaval raises questions about leadership stability as the Pentagon confronts critical global threats and ongoing operational demands.