The inspector general found Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used an unauthorized app to share sensitive operational timing for Yemen strikes — while a journalist was accidentally added to one of the chats.
The Pentagon inspector general found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. troops and missions at risk when he shared sensitive operational details about a planned strike on Yemen’s Houthi militants over the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to two people familiar with the findings.
The classified review — delivered to lawmakers this week — concluded that Hegseth’s use of the commercial, non-DoD platform violated security protocol and created operational exposure, even though the watchdog did not find that he improperly declassified information.
A partially redacted version of the report is expected to be released publicly later this week. CNN was first to report the findings.
A JOURNALIST WAS ACCIDENTALLY ADDED TO THE CHAT
The inspector general’s findings stem in part from a now-public Signal thread that became exposed when journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a group chat by then–National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
The chat included:
- Vice President JD Vance
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- DNI Tulsi Gabbard
- Senior NSC officials
- And Hegseth himself
The thread discussed exact timing of U.S. air operations, including:
- When warplanes would launch
- When bombs would drop
- Timing for the “strike window”
- Location of a “target terrorist”
- Sequential weapons use
These details were shared before aircraft were airborne, which multiple current and former U.S. military officials told the AP would never be permitted on an unsecured commercial app.
Hegseth also created a second Signal thread with 13 people — including his wife and brother — where he shared similar strike details, according to the AP.
Signal is encrypted but not authorized for DoD classified or sensitive communications.
FOLLOW-UP STRIKE UNDER SCRUTINY
The findings intensify pressure on Hegseth as lawmakers separately investigate a reported follow-up strike on a drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. According to a news report, survivors remained after the initial strike and Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody.”
Hegseth has defended the operation as occurring in the “fog of war.”
He said he didn’t “stick around” after the first strike, did not see survivors, and believes the naval commander made the “right call.”
HEGSETH SAYS HIS MESSAGES WERE “UNCLASSIFIED”
Hegseth has denied mishandling classified materials, saying the chats were “informal, unclassified coordinations.”
But military officials countered that the level of specificity shared could not have been allowed under standard operational security rules.
During a June hearing, Rep. Seth Moulton pressed Hegseth on whether he would hold himself accountable if the IG found wrongdoing:
Hegseth replied that he serves “at the pleasure of the president.”
CONTEXT: THE HOUTHI CAMPAIGN
The strike planning occurred during the U.S. campaign against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen in early 2024 — one of the Navy’s most intense sustained sea battles since WWII.
The Houthis had been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting nearly $1 trillion in annual trade flow.
After months of combat, the campaign concluded when the U.S. said the Houthis pledged to stop targeting ships.
