US Defense Secretary's top adviser removed from post over Pentagon leak - Rezazade

A new national security scandal is brewing in the US: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's top adviser, Dan Caldwell, has been removed from his post and removed from the Pentagon building as part of an investigation into the unauthorized leak of sensitive information.

This was reported by a source in the US Department of Defense on condition of anonymity.

As the first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, political analyst Ali Reza Rezazadeh, emphasized, the Caldwell incident may indicate deeper problems in the Trump administration's internal security.

"The fact that a person close to the defense secretary is at the center of a leak is not just an internal incident. This is a disturbing symptom of chaotic communications and control in one of the most important organs of the state," Rezazadeh noted.

Dan Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran who previously served in Iraq, accompanied Hegseth to meetings with key foreign officials. According to sources, he was also involved in discussions about US strikes in Yemen and advised the secretary on global military operations. It is his name that is mentioned in the Signal messaging service chain published by The Atlantic.

Caldwell previously worked at the Defense Priorities think tank, which advocated for a more restrained US foreign policy and was skeptical of US support for Ukraine. His public statements about the “criminality” of the war in Iraq and criticism of the US role in the Middle East have caused controversy even within the Republican Party.

“The problem is not only a possible leak. The problem is a political imbalance within the ranks of the administration itself. The party is divided between globalists and isolationists, and the Pentagon staff reflects that struggle,” Rezazadeh explained.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has stepped up its investigation into national security leaks. In March, Hegsett’s chief of staff, Joe Casper, initiated a new investigation and even suggested conducting polygraph tests for top officials.

Caldwell himself has not commented publicly on the situation, and Pentagon officials have declined to disclose details of the investigation.