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The Secretary of Defense’s top advisor left the Pentagon after six months of service, the Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed Saturday with Fox News Digital.
Justin Fulcher told Fox News Digital, who officially resigned Thursday evening, that he described the decision as entirely his own.
Fulcher said he originally planned to serve in the government for six months, and chose to reach that point and proceed “friendly.” He also emphasized that he described him as the “great work” being done by Heggs “for our army and nation.”
“The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of the President. [Donald] Trump and his secretary Heggs. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
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Fulcher told Fox News Digital that he voluntarily resigned from the Pentagon staff at Secdef Hegseth on Thursday evening. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
In addition to advising Hegseth on HR and policy, Fulcher also told Fox News Digital that he played a role in several defense initiatives during his tenure.
Fulcher said he contributed to reviewing major acquisition programs aimed at lethality and strengthening the US industrial base, streamlining software procurement timelines “from years to months” and modernizing critical IT systems across the sector.
He also said he supported Hegses at high-level India-Pacific meetings, including the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and took part in efforts that redirected nearly $50 billion from non-lethal line items to a more influential defense programme.
Fulcher praised the “Pentagon’s dedicated men and women”, citing progress on “encouraging the warrior spirit” and “rebuilding the military”, both Hegses and Trump thanked their leadership. “Even so, this is just the beginning,” Fulcher added.
Fulcher, who has been Heggs’ senior advisor since April, announced his departure in a message posted to X on Saturday afternoon.
“As planned, I have completed six months of service in the government to my country,” he writes, calling the experience “incredibly inspiring.”
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Justin Fulcher in indefinite photos. Fulcher, senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, left the Pentagon Thursday after six months. (X @justinfulcher via x)
“This could not have happened without Secretary Hegses’ decisive leadership and the continued confidence of President Trump in our team,” he wrote. “I will continue to defend American fighters with all my future efforts.”
Fulcher joined DOD earlier this year as part of Hegses’ inner circle. Hegses is a cohort of loyal advisors appointed after taking the helm at the Pentagon during Trump’s second term.
Fulcher served for six months at the Pentagon before confirming his resignation at Fox News Digital on Thursday night. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
His departure comes in a broader reconstruction of senior staff within Hegseth’s office. Defence officials have downplayed the move as a standard transition, but at least six aides have left since January.
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It is unclear what Fulcher’s next step will be, but his statement suggests that he intends to remain active in the national security world.
The pentagon is not yet named a replacement.
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