Leaks or Settling Scores? Behind the Pentagon Dismissals

23rd April 2025

2 minutes read

Leaks or Settling Scores? Behind the Pentagon Dismissals

In many major institutions, conflicts aren’t always resolved through ideas; often, personal interests and hidden power struggles prevail.

This appears to have been the case recently within the U.S. Department of Defense, with the dismissal of three senior officials: Dan Caldwell, Senior Advisor; Darin Selnick, Deputy Chief of Staff; and Colin Carroll, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

According to the New York Post, these dismissals reflect internal strife fueled by personal rivalries rather than deep ideological differences.

The three officials were asked to leave their positions last week following an investigation into leaks within the department.

Dan Caldwell denied any involvement in leaks and claimed he was targeted because of his political views.

An insider told the New York Post that the firings resulted from a power struggle involving Joe Kasper, former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense.

Kasper reportedly felt threatened by the expanding roles of Selnick and Caldwell, particularly regarding appointment recommendations, decisions on high-level official visits, and planning official travel.

Caldwell was also responsible for policies related to the Middle East and Ukraine, while Selnick oversaw personnel matters, such as repealing the Pentagon’s diversity and equity policy.

The three officials were officially dismissed on Friday, the same day Kasper left his position to assume a new role as a “special government employee” overseeing specific projects at the Pentagon.

The Pentagon and the White House stated that the three former employees were dismissed for leaking internal information to the media.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt asserted that these individuals had shared sensitive information with the media, which is unacceptable, especially when it involves sensitive data.

Leavitt also indicated that these former employees were actively working against President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.

However, two Pentagon officials denied that the dismissals were related to political differences.

A former Trump administration official questioned the allegations against Caldwell, noting that the three dismissed officials shared political views similar to Hegseth’s.

Tucker Carlson, a former colleague of Hegseth at Fox News, suggested that Caldwell was fired due to public comments opposing military action against Iran.

Sources close to the administration indicated that discussions were ongoing regarding potential strikes against Iran, likely to be carried out by Israel without direct U.S. military involvement, but that Trump favored diplomacy.