Defense Secretary’s signal Use Compromised Military Operations, Inspector General Finds
A Pentagon investigation revealed this week that U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss military air strikes potentially endangered troops and compromised sensitive mission details. The findings were released in a report on Thursday.
The controversy stems from a Signal group chat concerning U.S. military actions against Houthi rebels in Yemen, undertaken in early 2025 to protect red sea shipping lanes and international trade. Mike Waltz, a former national security advisor to Donald Trump, was inadvertently added to the group by a journalist from The Atlantic magazine.
Within the Signal conversation, hegseth disclosed the timing of upcoming strikes hours before they occurred, as well as details regarding the military equipment being deployed. This transmission of non-public facts occurred via an unapproved and unsecured network.
According to the Department’s Inspector General, “Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send non-public department of Defense information via Signal runs the risk of compromising sensitive information, which could harm Department of Defense personnel and mission objectives.” The report further stated the Secretary sent non-public information from the Ministry of Defense detailing the quantity and timing of strikes by American manned aircraft over hostile territory.
The revelations coincide with existing scrutiny of the Pentagon, specifically regarding recent military strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean. Thes operations,framed as a campaign to combat drug trafficking,have been criticized due to a lack of publicly available evidence linking targeted vessels to drug cartels.
