Pentagon inspector general completes investigation into 'Signalgate'

WASHINGTON On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received the finalized version of a report prepared by the Department of Defense Inspector General, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation. The document reviews Hegseths involvement in sharing sensitive military-related information through a Signal group chat in March.

The report, which has been awaited for months, may be released to the public as early as this week. It presents the results of an investigation lasting more than eight months into Hegseths use of Signal an encrypted but unclassified messaging application to distribute details about planned U.S. military operations in Yemen prior to their execution.

Hegseth has consistently stated that no classified material was shared in the messaging group. The Pentagon declined to immediately respond to requests for comment, and the sources familiar with the probe would not disclose the conclusions reached in the report.

The Inspector Generals inquiry was initiated at the request of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, and the committees ranking member, Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, on March 27.

Public attention turned to the chat after it was revealed that an editor from The Atlantic had been accidentally added to the group, which also included senior members of President Donald Trumps national security team.

According to NBC News, moments before U.S. aircraft launched strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, Army General Michael Erik Kurilla then head of U.S. Central Command used a secure government system to send operational details to Hegseth. These specifics reportedly included timetables for takeoff and impact, information that could have endangered pilots if intercepted by hostile actors.

NBC News further reported that much of the same operational data later appeared in the Signal conversations shared by Hegseth with other senior administration officials. In a separate chat, similar information was reportedly shared with members of Hegseths family and his private attorney, according to three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges.

The potential release of the report comes at a delicate moment for Hegseth, who is also facing questions related to another military action involving a second strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The Pentagon stated that 11 individuals were on board the boat and confirmed that the second strike occurred after at least two people survived the initial one. Senators Wicker and Reed have publicly expressed concern regarding that decision, although the White House has maintained that the operation complied with international law.

In relation to the Signal chat matter, Wicker and Reed requested detailed clarification from the Inspector General regarding what information was shared and whether any corrective steps were taken. They also sought an assessment of whether classified operational information may have been transferred from secure government systems to unclassified platforms, and under what circumstances.