Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… in recent days, an all-new series of controversies centered on U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has surfaced, involving more alleged leaks of sensitive national security information by members of this staff. In our analysis, we’ll be looking at 1) why a scandal has erupted amid the departure of multiple high-level DoD officials, 2) what the alleged leaks of U.S. information entail, 3) why a high-profile resignation late on Wednesday has compounded the DoD’s troubles, and 4) why the ongoing controversy over leaks of sensitive information have some in Washington calling the DoD’s top official a “national security threat.”
Quote of the Week
“Hegseth must resign.”
– Rep. Daniel Goldman, NY 10th congressional district
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Latest Round of Pentagon Leaks Erupts in Controversy
This week, another scandal erupted within the U.S. Department of Defense as multiple high-level officials were placed on administrative leave, and a central spokesperson has resigned amid an investigation into unauthorized leaks of information sensitive to national security.
It was revealed in reporting by Politico this week that three senior political appointees had been suspended from their positions in connection with the leak probe. Among these individuals is Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, who was reportedly placed on administrative leave on Wednesday.
One day earlier, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick—both aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—were also escorted from the Pentagon by security officials.
Mounting Pressure Over Leaks and Pentagon Leadership
The current investigation involves several alleged leaks, which include the possible unauthorized release of information related to military operations associated with the Panama Canal. Other potential leaks that are part of the investigation are a second U.S. aircraft carrier’s movement toward the Red Sea, a visit by Elon Musk to the Pentagon earlier this year to discuss plans involving China, and a pause in intelligence gathering for Ukraine.
A Marine Corps Reserve officer and former executive with defense contractor Anduril, the events of this week aren’t Carroll’s first encounter with controversy. Previously, it was reported that Carroll was dismissed from his former position as chief operating officer of the Pentagon’s now-defunct Joint Artificial Intelligence Center due to allegedly fostering a hostile work environment.
Adding to the controversy brewing in Washington, Caldwell and Selnick are both known to be former employees with Concerned Veterans for America, an organization Hegseth once led prior to taking his position as Defense Secretary.
Ullyot Resigns Amid Pentagon Turmoil
Compounding the upheaval, late on Wednesday it was revealed that former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot announced his plans to resign this week, citing failure to reach an anticipated agreement with Hegseth over who would replace him following a temporary acting role Ullyot was to serve lasting just two months.
“I made clear to Secretary [Pete] Hegseth before the inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs,” Ullyot said. “Last month, as that time approached, the Secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD. So I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week.”
Like many of those involved in the controversies hounding the DoD this week, Ullyot’s tenure in defense public affairs has not been without contention. Early in the Trump administration while overseeing the Pentagon’s press operations on an acting basis, he faced backlash for reassigning office space once held by legacy media outlets exclusively to conservative news organizations
Ullyot, who previously served as head of communications at the National Security Council, among other positions, also publicly defended the DoD after a purge of military diversity web content last month, which included the removal of a profile honoring Jackie Robinson’s military service.
To-date, the Pentagon has not yet provided any public comment regarding the current personnel changes or the ongoing investigation into the alleged leaks.
Ongoing Controversy at the DoD
The news this week follows the leak of military plans related to air strikes in Yemen just weeks ago, after an American journalist was inadvertently added to a chat group among top U.S. defense officials using the popular encrypted Signal app.
Jeffrey Goldberg, the journalist whose phone number was mistakenly added to the group, is the Editor in Chief at The Atlantic, which subsequently revealed the unauthorized leak in a series of articles featured at Goldberg’s publication.
The events of the last few days have sparked fresh calls from congressional Democrats for Hegseth’s resignation, including harsh criticism from Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.), who pointed out that this is only the latest round in a series of controversies that have overshadowed the Pentagon’s efforts since Hegseth took the helm.
“This is now the second major breach of classified information by the most senior political appointees in [Hegseth’s] two months of leadership at DOD,” Rep. Goldman said in a posting on X this week.
“[Hegseth] should never have been appointed based on merit alone,” Goldman added in his posting on X, “but now he is a national security threat.”
“Hegseth must resign,” Goldman said.
The newest round of alleged leaks have only added additional fuel to the fire being kept by Hegseth’s critics since his controversial nomination for the position of defense secretary. If left unchecked, they could also bear the realistic potential for having much broader lasting implications for U.S. national security, an issue that extends well beyond just political opponents of the Trump administration.
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of our newsletter at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or reach me on X: @MicahHanks.
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