A top aide in the Pentagon has resigned, after just six months of service. 

Fox News reports that Justin Fulcher, a top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made the decision last week.

There are reports circulating on the internet claiming that Fulcher was fired, but these reports have not been substantiated. Accordingly, most outlets are reporting that he resigned.

An honor to serve alongside @SecDef @PeteHegseth and all the great men and women at @DeptofDefense pic.twitter.com/4YxBBTDGj1

— Justin Fulcher 🇺🇸 (@JustinFulcher) July 19, 2025

A statement from Fulcher

Fulcher has released a statement on his departure, which would seem to confirm the narrative that he resigned.

It begins:

As planned, I've completed 6 months of service in government to my country. Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense has been incredibly inspiring.

Fulcher went on to write that "revitalizing the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence are just some of the historic accomplishments I'm proud to have witnessed."

He said, though, that "this is just the beginning." He continued:

None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth's decisive leadership or President Trump's continued confidence in our team. I'm grateful to both, and to the extraordinary civilians and service members who turn vision into action every day.

This would indeed seem to support the idea that Fulcher resigned of his own volition. This is further supported by a statement from the Department of Defense.

"Grateful"

The Department of Defense has put out its own statement on the matter, indicating that it is "grateful" for the work that Fulcher has done.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said:

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.

It appears that it was quite an action-packed six months for Fulcher.

Fox reports:

Fulcher said he contributed to reviews of major acquisition programs aimed at strengthening lethality and the U.S. industrial base, and helped streamline software procurement timelines "from years to months," modernizing key IT systems across the department. He also said he supported Hegseth in high-level meetings across the Indo-Pacific, including the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and participated in efforts that redirected nearly $50 billion from non-lethal line items into readiness and more impactful defense programs.

What remains unclear is, if things were going so well, why has Fulcher decided to call it quits after just six months? Until further information is provided, the answer is unknown.