Joe Kasper, chief of staff to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, is set to leave his role in the coming days for a new position within the Pentagon, a senior administration official confirmed. His departure comes during a week of deepening instability at the Defence Department.

Three senior officials—senior adviser Dan Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg—were placed on leave earlier this week amid an internal leak investigation and were fired on April 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, cited by Politico.

The turmoil follows recent controversies, including Hegseth’s alleged release of sensitive information via Signal chats with national security officials and a divisive department visit by Elon Musk.

Kasper had previously called for an investigation into the leaks, which involved details on U.S. military operations near the Panama Canal, a second aircraft carrier deployment to the Red Sea, the intelligence pause on Ukraine, and Musk’s visit. However, tensions within the Pentagon had also grown, with officials noting a personal rivalry between Kasper and the ousted advisers.

“Joe didn’t like those guys,” said one defence official. “They just didn’t get along. It was a personality clash.”

Kasper, Caldwell, Carroll, and Selnick declined to comment. Two sources said Carroll and Selnick plan to sue for wrongful termination. The Pentagon has not responded to a request for comment.

Their departures leave Hegseth without a chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, or senior adviser, further straining his already embattled leadership. “There is a complete meltdown in the building,” said a senior defence official. “This is really reflecting on the secretary’s leadership.”

This latest shake-up follows a February purge of top uniformed officers, including former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

“There probably will be more chaos,” said another defence official. “No one’s job is safe.”

As criticism mounts, some question Hegseth’s capacity to manage the Pentagon. “The front office has some first-rate uniformed staff, but dysfunction is piling up,” said a former Trump official.

Chris Meagher, a former assistant defence secretary under Biden, said the events highlight Hegseth’s unsuitability for the job. “Everything we’ve seen—the firings, the sloppiness of Signalgate, and the lack of transparency—confirms he doesn’t have what it takes to lead.”

By Tamilla Hasanova

Source: caliber.az