Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot to resign: Politico

John Ullyot, the former top spokesperson for the Pentagon, announced Wednesday night that he will resign at the end of the week. The decision, shared in a statement to Politico, comes during a period of heightened scrutiny and internal shake-ups at the Department of Defense.

His departure follows reports that three senior aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who were political appointees, were placed on administrative leave this week as part of an ongoing investigation into leaks.

The Pentagon has also come under fire in recent weeks over several controversies, including the accidental inclusion of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief in a private group chat discussing military operations in Yemen, and the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related webpages from its official site.

Read more: Journalist accidentally texted classified war plan, says White House

Ullyot, a Marine Corps veteran, served in prominent roles throughout the first Trump administration. He acted as the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs until February, when Sean Parnell was appointed as the new chief spokesperson.

“I made clear to Secretary Hegseth before the inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs,” Ullyot told Politico, adding that he agreed to stay on for two months in an acting capacity. “Last month, as that time approached, the Secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD,” he said. “So I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week.”

The Pentagon has yet to issue an official comment regarding Ullyot’s departure.

Ullyot's communications background includes a senior role on President Trump’s 2016 campaign and work as the assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He later served as the National Security Council spokesperson and, most recently, as Pentagon press secretary.

During his tenure, Ullyot publicly defended the department’s removal of DEI-related webpages, including content on civil rights icon Jackie Robinson and the Navajo Code Talkers—both of which were eventually restored. On the DEI issue, he maintained a hardline stance, stating: “As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department. Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military.”