A senior advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Dan Caldwell, has been escorted out of the Pentagon and placed on administrative leave following an “unauthorized disclosure” of information, a Defense Department official confirmed. Caldwell, known for his advocacy of reducing U.S. military presence in Europe and withdrawing troops from Iraq and Syria, previously worked with the think tank Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America, which Hegseth once led.
The Pentagon recently launched an initiative to identify internal leakers responsible for the release of sensitive national security information. The investigation includes the use of polygraph examinations and will result in a comprehensive report for the Secretary of Defense. According to Chief of Staff Joe Kasper, any individual identified as responsible for unauthorized disclosures could face criminal prosecution.
Caldwell’s connection to Hegseth became public after a leaked Signal chat about U.S. strikes on the Houthis revealed Caldwell as the Pentagon’s point of contact for the operation. The private conversation was unintentionally shared with The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
This leak is separate from another recent case involving classified intelligence about U.S. bombings in Iran. The situation has drawn heightened attention from former President Donald Trump, who criticized media coverage of a study on the effectiveness of “bunker buster” bombs in halting Iran’s nuclear program and suggested limiting briefings to Congress on military operations.
