Senior Pentagon adviser suspended amid leak investigation
Dan Caldwell, one of the closest collaborators of the U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, has been relieved of his duties and placed on leave. This decision results from an investigation into media information leaks.
What do you need to know?
- Dan Caldwell, an adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Defence, has been relieved of his duties and placed on administrative leave due to suspicions of leaking information to the media.
- The investigation was initiated by Joe Kasper, the Chief of Staff of the Department of Defence, following unauthorised disclosures of national security information.
- Darin Selnick, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Pentagon, was also suspended in connection with these events.
Why was Dan Caldwell relieved?
Dan Caldwell, one of the closest collaborators of U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, has been relieved of his duties and placed on administrative leave. This decision is due to an investigation concerning information leakage to the media related to the Department of Defence. The investigation is still ongoing, and its details are classified.
What are the consequences of the information leak?
The investigation was initiated by Joe Kasper, the Chief of Staff of the Department of Defence, who in an official memo dated 21 March pointed out the recent "unauthorised disclosure" of national security information. The memo also mentioned the potential use of polygraph tests during the investigation. However, it is not clear whether Dan Caldwell underwent such a test.
What's next for the investigation?
Joe Kasper expects to be promptly informed of the investigative results that will help identify the individual responsible for the information leak. If guilt is confirmed, the matter will be handed over to the appropriate law enforcement agencies to initiate criminal proceedings. The decision to place Caldwell on administrative leave is not related to the wave of dismissals in the administration.
