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Dan Caldwell, one of the top adviser to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was removed from the Pentagon on Tuesday after he was identified during a internal probe into leaks at the Department of DefenseCaldwell was placed on administrative leave for “an unauthorized disclosure,” the official said, while speaking to Reuters. “The investigation remains ongoing,” the official said without providing details into the probe.Who is Dan Caldwell?Caldwell was the staff member designated as Pete Hegseth’s point person in the Signal messaging chat that top Trump administration national security officials, including Hegseth, used to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, an AP report saidCaldwell is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the Iraq War. Following boot camp and initial training, Caldwell was assigned to the Marine Corps Presidential Support Program, where he served as a member of the security force at the presidential retreat at Camp David, as per Defense Priorities.“Following his service at Camp David, Caldwell deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and conducted operations in Al Anbar and Ninawa provinces. After Marine services, Caldwell worked for Rep. David Schweikert from 2011 to 2013, focusing on veterans and defense issues.” Caldwell graduated cum laude from Arizona State in 2011 with degrees in Asian History and Political Science, Defense Priorities also said.Why was Caldwell under Washington’s Radar?Caldwell had earlier drawn attention in Washington for for past views, which critics labeled as isolationist. Meanwhile, his supporters argued that his stance aimed to realign and recalibrate America’s defense priorities.Before joining the Pentagon, Caldwell was quoted as saying that the US might have been better off if American troops had simply stayed home. “I think the Iraq war was a monstrous crime,” Caldwell told the Financial Times in December 2024.He was also a skeptic of US military assistance to Ukraine and advocated for US retrenchment from Europe.All you need to about the Signal Chat leak:The Signal chat (Department of Defense), set up by national security adviser Michael Waltz, included a number of Cabinet members and came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was added to the group. President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to aggressively pursue leaks, an effort that has been enthusiastically embraced by Hegseth at the Pentagon.A March 21 memo signed by Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, requested an investigation into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications.”Kasper’s memo left open the possibility of a polygraph, although it was unclear if Caldwell was subjected to one.(With inputs from Reuters, AP and Defense Priorities)
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