Hegseth’s chief of staff shifts to new role amid Pentagon upheaval

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff is moving to a new role at the Pentagon, a senior defense official told CBS News — the latest staffing shift after days of upheaval, after multiple top Hegseth aides were fired late last week.

Chief of staff Joe Kasper will now work at the Department of Defense as a special government employee handling “special projects,” the official said, adding, “Secretary Hegseth is thankful for his continued leadership and work to advance the America First agenda.”

Kasper’s impending departure from the chief of staff role was first reported by Politico.

The Pentagon faced a staffing shakeup last week. At least two officials — Hegseth’s senior adviser Dan Caldwell and deputy chief of staff Dan Selnick — were fired as a leak investigation ordered by Kasper was underway, CBS News reported Friday. A third official, deputy defense secretary chief of staff Colin Carroll, was placed on leave as part of the same leak probe.

Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll said they were “incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended” in a joint statement shared on X Saturday. And the three said they “still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with.”

CBS News also reported Sunday that Hegseth shared information about airstrikes in Yemen last month in a group chat on the Signal messaging app that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. Hegseth also posted details on the Yemen strikes in a widely publicized Signal chat that inadvertently included the editor of The Atlantic alongside top administration officials.

In response, Hegseth claimed the media had used “anonymous sources from disgruntled, former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people, and ruin their reputation.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said no classified information was shared in the chat. 

In public, President Trump has stood by the defense secretary, telling reporters Monday Hegseth is “doing a great job” and denying any dysfunction at the Pentagon.