US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is again under political scrutiny after the Pentagon’s inspector general alleged that his use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to share sensitive strike information may have put American personnel and military operations at risk during an attack on Houthi militants in Yemen.
Senior officials in the Trump administration used the commercial app in March to coordinate sensitive military strikes against the Houthis. The group chat was created by then national security adviser Mike Waltz and included several senior Cabinet officials. However, Waltz mistakenly added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. After the error came to light, The Atlantic later published additional messages from the chat, revealing that detailed strike information had been shared before the attack was carried out.
Sources familiar with the classified inspector general report, which is now before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hegseth sent minute-by-minute operational updates, including “1215 ET: F-18s LAUNCH” and “1415: Strike Drones on Target”, through the Signal group.
The inspector general’s probe was launched in April at the request of lawmakers and examined whether Hegseth bypassed secure communications systems and failed to follow federal record-keeping rules. A redacted public version of the report is expected on Thursday. Bipartisan critics have argued that his real-time dissemination of strike details amounted to highly risky “declassification by group chat”, AP News reported.
Following the strikes, Hegseth told the group, “We are currently clean on OPSEC”, while confirming the destruction of a building housing a senior Houthi missile commander. The inspector general nevertheless faulted him for using a personal device in violation of Pentagon policy. The report also noted that even if he held declassification authority, the information remained sensitive while US pilots were still en route to their targets.
Among the critics, Senator Tammy Duckworth said the timing information was “inherently classified” and warned it could have resulted in the deaths of US aviators if intercepted by hostile forces. Waltz later acknowledged the mistaken inclusion of the journalist and even approached Elon Musk for assistance with digital forensic analysis.
One source familiar with the investigation said Hegseth technically does have authority to declassify information and that the review did not conclude he mishandled classified material. However, it found that he breached Pentagon policy by conducting official business on a personal device and recommended stronger communications training for senior Defence Department officials.
Hegseth declined to sit for an in-person interview with the inspector general and instead submitted a written statement. In it, he argued that he acted within his authority and only shared information he believed would not jeopardise military operations.
The initial findings have also intensified scrutiny over a separate Caribbean incident. Lawmakers are examining a report that a follow-up strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in September killed survivors after Hegseth allegedly ordered forces to “kill everybody”. He later defended that decision as part of the “fog of war”, saying he did not see any survivors and “didn’t stick around”, while maintaining that the admiral involved “made the right call”.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “The Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along — no classified information was shared. This matter is resolved, and the case is closed.” President Donald Trump also “stands by” Hegseth, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said the review showed that “no classified information was leaked, and operational security was not compromised”.
The controversy is rooted in Washington’s broader campaign against the Houthis, who began firing missiles and drones at shipping lanes in late 2023 over Israel’s war with Hamas. After a ceasefire collapsed in March, the US launched a large-scale assault on Houthi targets. After it emerged that The Atlantic’s editor had been included in the Signal chat, the magazine published the entire thread, showing Hegseth sharing strike windows, aircraft types, weapons and target locations, while stating the US was “currently clean” on operational security.
In April, Hegseth told Fox News that what he shared over Signal was “informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things.”
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
