March 16 - Dan Caldwell, a one-time senior adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who was removed from his Pentagon post amid an investigation into a leak, has taken a new position with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the New York Times reported on Monday.
Earlier reporting in April said Caldwell had been escorted from the Pentagon and placed on administrative leave for what a U.S. official described as "an unauthorized disclosure." In response to the probe, Caldwell and two fellow Pentagon officials issued a joint statement that called the investigation into question and accused unnamed colleagues of defamation. The statement said: "Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door."
According to the New York Times, Caldwell's new responsibilities at ODNI will include advising senior officials who coordinate the work of multiple federal intelligence agencies and contributing to the drafting of the President's daily intelligence briefing.
ODNI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Caldwell has been a notable figure in Washington debates over defense policy. The New York Times report noted that some critics have characterized his past views as isolationist, while supporters have described them as an attempt to realign and "right-size" American defense priorities.
What is known from the available reporting is limited to the sequence of events surrounding Caldwell's departure from the Pentagon, the joint rebuttal he and two colleagues issued, and his subsequent hiring by ODNI in an advisory capacity focused on interagency coordination and the President's intelligence briefing. The public record, as reported, does not provide further details on the terms of his ODNI appointment or any internal deliberations that led to the hire.
The transfer of a former Pentagon aide under these circumstances raises questions that remain unanswered in the reporting: the internal rationale at ODNI for the appointment, whether the earlier probe influenced the hiring decision, and how ODNI will integrate Caldwell into existing intelligence coordination processes. The available facts do not resolve those matters.
This article presents the facts as reported: Caldwell's administrative leave and escort from the Pentagon amid an allegation of an unauthorized disclosure; his and colleagues' joint public denial; the New York Times' account of his advisory role at ODNI; ODNI's lack of immediate comment to Reuters; and the description of Caldwell's past views and how they have been characterized by critics and supporters.