The Pentagon placed two top political appointees under administrative leave on Tuesday after a probe into potential leaks of sensitive information, according to three defense officials.
Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon by security officers and had his building access suspended pending further investigation, said two of the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe.
Darin Selnick, the Pentagon’s deputy chief of staff, was also suspended as part of the same probe and escorted out of the building, according to one of the officials.
The leaks under investigation include military operational plans for the Panama canal, a second carrier headed to the Red Sea, Elon Musk’s controversial visit to the Pentagon and pausing the collection of intelligence to Ukraine, the other official said.
Reuters first reported Caldwell’s removal, but Selnick’s departure and the focus of the leaks have not been previously reported.
The suspensions come as the Trump administration seeks to root out leaks, including at the Defense Department. A March memo signed by Hegseth’s chief of staff asked the Pentagon’s director for defense intelligence to look into unauthorized disclosures, and approved the use of polygraphs.
The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War who previously worked at the right-leaning Defense Priorities think tank, played a key role in advising the Pentagon on Ukraine.
Hegseth — in the now infamous Signal chat with national security leaders that accidentally included a journalist — named Caldwell the Pentagon’s primary contact to coordinate U.S. military strikes on Yemen.
Selnick, earlier this year, also performed the duties of the under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness. He served in the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs in the first Trump administration. He’s also a former senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, which Hegseth used to lead.
Caldwell and Selnick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
