WASHINGTON — The Pentagon dismissed two senior political appointees on Friday, April 18, 2025, following an internal investigation into a classified information leak, according to multiple defense officials.
Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Dan Selnick, deputy chief of staff, were both terminated after being placed on administrative leave earlier this week.
The investigation, ordered in March by Secretary Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper, seeks to compile a complete record of leaks and includes the possible use of polygraph testing, according to a memo obtained by CBS News. The memo outlined a directive to identify the source of security breaches and strengthen internal controls.
In addition to Caldwell and Selnick, a third official, Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Two sources also confirmed that Kasper himself is under review as part of the ongoing probe.
The Department of Defense has not publicly disclosed the nature of the classified information involved or the potential impact of the breach.
Investigators are working to determine the extent of the leak and identify any additional vulnerabilities in the Pentagon’s information security systems.
No timeline has been provided for the completion of the probe, but defense officials have confirmed it remains a high priority.
