The Pentagon has put Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg, on administrative leave in a landmark action as President Donald Trump investigates more into managing military leaks. Carroll is the third senior individual to be put on leave with an ongoing investigation into the alleged leaks.
This comes after two other political appointees were suspended a day ago, both of whom are also facing allegations of leaking sensitive information.
It has been reported that the leaks in question are about sensitive issues like military operations related to the Panama Canal, sending a second carrier to the Red Sea, and information about Elon Musk’s controversial visit at the Pentagon with respect to China. A short-term failure in intelligence collection is also at risk concerning Ukraine.
Carroll, a Marine Corps Reserve officer, had also been at risk of being terminated in the Biden administration when she was charged with making a hostile work environment when she was the Pentagon’s former Joint Artificial Intelligence Centre chief operating officer.
Along with Carroll, senior Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s adviser Dan Caldwell and the Defence Department’s deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick were also removed from their positions by security personnel and lost their access to the Pentagon as the investigation unfolds. Caldwell and Selnick are both known for their affiliations with Concerned Veterans for America, a nonprofit organization once led by Hegseth.
The recent developments have led to new demands from Democrats for Hegseth’s resignation, especially after his disclosing classified information within a Signal group chat regarding US airstrikes in Yemen. The pressure on the Pentagon head to resign is mounting with greater scrutiny about the military’s transparency.
