Overview

• Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on administrative leave for an alleged unauthorized disclosure.
• Darin Selnick, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff, was also suspended as part of the investigation, which now includes multiple officials and continues to widen.
• The investigation, initiated by a March 21 memo from Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper, is examining leaks of classified and sensitive information, with polygraph tests potentially being used to identify responsible parties.
• Caldwell was identified in a leaked Signal group chat discussing military strike planning against Houthi rebels in Yemen, highlighting his role as a key point of contact for the National Security Council.
• The Trump administration and Defense Secretary Hegseth are pursuing a broader crackdown on leaks, aiming to enforce stricter internal accountability and protect national security communications.