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 completely his personal.
Fulcher stated 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 “great work” being completed by Hegseth “for our troops and country.”
“The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President [Donald] Trump and Secretary Hegseth. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in a press release.
Along with advising Hegseth on personnel and coverage, Fulcher performed a task in a number of protection initiatives throughout his tenure, he advised Fox Information Digital.
Fulcher stated he contributed to evaluations of main acquisition packages geared toward strengthening lethality and the US industrial base, and helped streamline software program procurement timelines “from years to months,” modernizing key IT programs throughout the division.
He additionally stated 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 practically $50 billion from non-lethal line gadgets into readiness and extra impactful protection packages.
Fulcher praised the “dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense,” cited progress in “revitalizing the warrior ethos” and “rebuilding the military,” and thanked each Hegseth and Trump for his or her management. “Still, this is just the beginning,” 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 planned, I’ve completed 6 months of service in government to my country,” he wrote, calling the expertise “incredibly inspiring.”
“None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth’s decisive leadership or President Trump’s continued confidence in our team,” he wrote. “I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors.”
Fulcher joined the DoD earlier this 12 months 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.
Not less than six aides have left since January, although protection officers have downplayed the strikes as commonplace transitions.
It’s unclear what Fulcher’s subsequent step can be, although his assertion suggests he intends to stay energetic in nationwide safety circles.
The Pentagon has not but named a alternative.