Pentagon in Turmoil: Leaks Continue as Hegseth’s Leadership Unravels

The Department of Defense is spiraling into disarray under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with persistent leaks and a collapsing leadership team undermining confidence in the Pentagon’s ability to protect national security.

Reports from The Washington Post and The Gateway Pundit reveal a department rocked by the sudden exit of Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and allegations of reckless communication practices that could expose sensitive information.

As leaks multiply and Hegseth’s inner circle crumbles, a critical question looms: what is fueling this chaos, and could tensions over Iran policy, as suggested by a fired aide, be part of the problem?

The turmoil escalated on April 24, 2025, when Kasper, a former lobbyist and key Hegseth ally, left his chief of staff role after less than 100 days, according to The Washington Post.

Kasper’s departure, described as voluntary, shifts him to a part-time “special government employee” role focused on science, technology, and industry. His exit follows the April 18 firing of three senior aides—Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll—amid a probe into unauthorized leaks,

The trio, all veterans, denied leaking in a joint statement, claiming they were slandered without evidence. The rapid loss of key staff has intensified perceptions of a Pentagon in crisis.

At the heart of the chaos are allegations of Hegseth’s misuse of the Signal messaging app, raising serious security concerns. The Washington Post reported that Hegseth installed Signal on a Pentagon desktop, cloning it from his personal phone via an unsecured “dirty” internet line that bypassed security protocols.

This setup, reportedly encouraged by Kasper and others to coordinate with White House officials, risks being hacked. Hegseth allegedly shared details of a Yemen bombing campaign—sourced from Gen. Michael Kurilla via a classified network—in a Signal chat including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, none of whom are cleared for such information.

A March incident, where The Atlantic’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in a Signal group discussing Yemen strikes, highlighted similar recklessness.

The leaks have provoked bipartisan outrage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Tammy Duckworth have demanded Hegseth’s resignation, citing risks to servicemembers. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker has called for an investigation.

Hegseth, appearing on Fox News, dismissed the leaks as “informal, unclassified coordinations” and blamed “disgruntled employees,” but his spokesman, Sean Parnell, struggled to refute Signal misuse claims.

The Defense Department’s inspector general is probing Hegseth’s handling of classified information, per The Washington Post.

Hegseth’s leadership is faltering. With Kasper gone and aides fired, he relies on an inner circle—his wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer; his lawyer, Tim Parlatore; and his brother, Phil, a Pentagon liaison—lacking the experience to manage 1.3 million personnel and an $816 billion budget.

His firings of the Joint Chiefs chairman and Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, aimed at purging disloyalty, have left critical roles vacant. Terminating $5.1 billion in IT contracts, while fiscally conservative, adds to the sense of disorder. With reports describing widespread confusion among Pentagon staff.

Could tensions over Iran policy be a hidden driver? Dan Caldwell, one of the fired aides, claimed on Tucker Carlson’s show on April 21, 2025, that his ouster stemmed from opposing a “bipartisan desire” for war with Iran, suggesting he threatened “established interests” at the Pentagon.

The Yemen leaks, involving Iran-backed Houthi rebels, hint at broader disagreements over Middle East strategy. Hegseth, a known hawk who has called Iran an “evil regime,” may face resistance from career officials skeptical of escalation.

While Caldwell’s claim lacks corroboration from other sources, it raises the question: is the Pentagon’s chaos partly a clash over Iran policy?

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