Joe Kasper, who served as the chief of staff under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is stepping down from his role but will continue to be involved as a Special Government Employee. This development comes in the wake of a series of exits from top positions at the Pentagon amid an investigation into leaks and allegations of defamation. Hegseth is under further scrutiny for allegedly conversing about Yemen strikes through the encrypted messaging app Signal. Despite these controversies, the White House has affirmed its backing for Hegseth.