Pentagon report finds Hegseth endangered troops with Signal chat

A long-anticipated Department of Defense review determined that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth breached internal policies by sharing classified details in a Signal messaging group in March, including information about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi forces, according to an informed source.

The Signal conversation became public after a journalist from The Atlantic was added to the chat. Other participants included JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. The review did not assess the actions of these non-Defense Department officials.

Signal is a publicly accessible messaging platform not authorized for classified information, yet Hegseth and several others shared details about the upcoming military operation. The source noted that the inspector general's report concluded the shared information was classified and potentially endangered U.S. service members if intercepted by foreign adversaries.

The report also indicated that Hegseth had the authority to declassify the information, though it remains unclear if he formally did so. Hegseth declined an interview with the inspector general, instead submitting a short written statement asserting that the information shared posed no risk to personnel or operations, that he had the right to declassify materials, and that he viewed the inspector general as biased.

The report has been delivered to Congress, with an unclassified version expected to be released later this week.

Author: Jackson Miller