Brig. Gen. Eric Widmar, the senior legal counsel to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine, announced his early departure from the Pentagon role he has held since 2024. Widmar told ProPublica he was stepping down "for personal reasons," explaining that the demands of the position had required him to live apart from his wife for two years, creating challenges for his family. "After careful consideration, I decided it was time to place my family at the center of my life and focus on our next chapter together," he said in a statement.
Widmar's exit marks the latest in a series of high-profile Pentagon departures over the past 18 months, including Gen. Chris Donahue, head of Army forces in Europe and Africa, who reportedly was pushed out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the earlier ousting of Army Chief of Staff Gen. in April. In February 2025, Hegseth fired the top lawyers for the Army, Air Force, and Navy, citing concerns about their suitability to provide recommendations on lawful orders.
Gen. Dan Caine, principal military adviser to President Trump and Hegseth, praised Widmar as a "fantastic Officer and Lawyer" who served the entire U.S. and expressed deep gratitude for his "remarkable" service. Caine added, "We will miss his legal counsel, incredible expertise and experience, and his understanding of our responsibility to always speak truth to power."
According to CNN, Widmar had advised Caine in November that military commanders should request to retire rather than resign in protest or confront unlawful orders.
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