Investigators discovered Hegseth had a 'special' setup allowing him to use his personal cellphone inside his secure Pentagon office

An investigation determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had a specially designed system set up in his secure Pentagon office, enabling him to operate his personal cellphone from within the facility. It remains uncertain whether this arrangement breached Pentagon regulations.

The discovery comes from the Pentagon Inspector Generals report examining Hegseths use of the Signal messaging app to share information about U.S. airstrikes targeting Houthi forces in Yemen earlier this year. The report suggests that this setup posed potential risks to U.S. military personnel.

The report states that Hegseths junior military assistant, acting on the secretarys instructions, "requested and oversaw the installation of a unique capability allowing the secretary to access and control his personal cellphone from inside his secure office." The system, installed in late February 2025, mirrored the phones content to a connected keyboard, mouse, and monitor while the phone itself remained outside the office. Images of the prototype were redacted in the report.

Typically, senior Pentagon officials and their staff have lockers or storage areas for personal devices due to strict rules against bringing mobile phones into secure spaces. Department of Defense policy prohibits personal and government mobile devices in such areas.

The inspector general could not determine if Hegseths system fully complied with requirements, as it was removed quietly by late April 2025. Hegseth confirmed in a statement to the inspector general in July that he had requested the setup to "more easily receive non-official communications during the workday." He added that the communications team developed a solution that maintained security while allowing phone access.

The Secretary of Defense Communications Team maintained that the installation adhered to DoD information security rules because it did not physically breach the no-cellphones-in-secure-spaces policy.

The investigation into Hegseths Signal use began after The Atlantic editor-in-chief was accidentally added to group chats where the secretary shared sensitive information, including details from a SECRET/NOFORN email, about airstrike timing and assets. The inspector general concluded that these actions could have jeopardized U.S. forces if intercepted by adversaries.

While Hegseth asserted there was no immediate danger to troops or missions, the report concluded that his actions created operational security risks that might have compromised missions and endangered U.S. pilots.

Author: Noah Whitman