A prime advisor to Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth has left the Pentagon after six months of service, the Division of Protection (DoD) confirmed to Fox Information Digital on Saturday.
Justin Fulcher advised Fox Information Digital he formally resigned on Thursday night, describing the choice as solely his personal.
Fulcher mentioned he had initially deliberate to serve six months in authorities and, having reached that time, selected to maneuver on “amicably.” He additionally emphasised what he described because the “nice work” being accomplished by Hegseth “for our troops and nation.”
“The Division of Protection is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President [Donald] Trump and Secretary Hegseth. We want him properly in his future endeavors,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell mentioned in an announcement.
Along with advising Hegseth on personnel and coverage, Fulcher performed a job in a number of protection initiatives throughout his tenure, he advised Fox Information Digital.
Fulcher mentioned he contributed to opinions of main acquisition packages aimed toward strengthening lethality and the US industrial base, and helped streamline software program procurement timelines “from years to months,” modernizing key IT techniques throughout the division.
He additionally mentioned he supported Hegseth in high-level conferences throughout the Indo-Pacific, together with the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and took part in efforts that redirected almost $50 billion from non-lethal line gadgets into readiness and extra impactful protection packages.
Fulcher praised the “devoted women and men of the Division of Protection,” cited progress in “revitalizing the warrior ethos” and “rebuilding the navy,” and thanked each Hegseth and Trump for his or her management. “Nonetheless, that is just the start,” Fulcher added.
Fulcher, who had served as a senior advisor to Hegseth since April, introduced his departure Saturday afternoon in a message posted to X.
“As deliberate, I’ve accomplished 6 months of service in authorities to my nation,” he wrote, calling the expertise “extremely inspiring.”
“None of this might have occurred with out Secretary Hegseth’s decisive management or President Trump’s continued confidence in our crew,” he wrote. “I’ll proceed to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors.”
Fulcher joined the DoD earlier this yr as a part of Hegseth’s inside circle, a cohort of loyal advisers appointed after Hegseth took the helm on the Pentagon in Trump’s second time period.
His departure comes amid a broader reshuffling of senior personnel inside Hegseth’s workplace.
At the very least six aides have left since January, although protection officers have downplayed the strikes as normal transitions.
It’s unclear what Fulcher’s subsequent step will likely be, although his assertion suggests he intends to stay lively in nationwide safety circles.
The Pentagon has not but named a alternative.
