Hegseth Taps DOGE Staffer as Senior Adviser After Staff Exodus

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, facing criticism of his stewardship at the Pentagon and beset by staff turnover, added a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to his circle of close advisers.

Hegseth has selected Justin Fulcher, co-founder of telemedicine startup RingMD who also represented the DOGE team at the Department of Veterans Affairs, to serve as a senior adviser, according to a Pentagon statement. The secretary frequently touts the group’s findings, saying it has identified billions in wasteful spending at the Pentagon.

Pete Hegseth

Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

Hegseth in recent weeks has lost his chief of staff, deputy chief of ...