Another top aide to US defence chief Hegseth leaves the Pentagon

WASHINGTON – A top adviser to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has left his position, the Pentagon announced late on July 19, becoming the latest in a string of senior officials to leave the department’s top ranks.

The official, Mr Justin Fulcher, joined the Trump administration as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Mr Elon Musk’s government overhaul initiative, and later became an adviser to Mr Hegseth.

In a statement, Mr Fulcher said he had planned to work for the federal government for only six months.

Earlier this month, The Washington Post detailed a confrontation between Mr Fulcher and other Doge staff members assigned to the Pentagon. But officials downplayed that incident as a cause, insisting Mr Fulcher’s exit was friendly.

Mr Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement that “the Department of Defence is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth”.

Under Mr Hegseth, the office of the Secretary of Defence, the core group of advisers who help manage the Pentagon’s sprawling bureaucracy, has undergone an unusual amount of turnover.

In April, Mr Dan Caldwell and Mr Darin Selnick, aides to Mr Hegseth, were

placed on leave from the Pentagon amid a leak investigation

. Mr Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen A. Feinberg, was also

removed from the Pentagon.

After those actions, Mr Joe Kasper, Mr Hegseth’s first chief of staff, was moved to a different position.

Mr John Ullyot, a veteran spokesperson, also left his position at the Pentagon in April, citing disarray and a sense of incompetence.

The purges among Mr Hegseth’s major aides fed a sense of chaos, with appointees accusing one another of disloyalty and tense shouting matches breaking out inside the building.

Mr Fulcher tried to distance his departure from any sense of disorganisation or dysfunction inside Mr Hegseth’s office.

“Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defence has been incredibly inspiring,” he said in his statement. “Revitalising the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and re-establishing deterrence are just some of the historic accomplishments I’m proud to have witnessed.” NYTIMES