A damning investigation by the Pentagon's internal watchdog has determined that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth endangered American personnel and a critical mission by using the personal, encrypted Signal messaging application to transmit highly sensitive operational details. The details pertained to a planned military strike against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, according to sources familiar with the findings shared with The Associated Press.
Violation of Policy and Operational Security
The inspector general's report concluded that Hegseth's actions violated established Pentagon policy, which prohibits conducting official business on personal devices. The investigation revealed that Hegseth shared precise operational timelines, including the exact launch windows for warplanes and the moments bombs were scheduled to drop, even before the pilots involved in the strikes had taken off. Multiple serving and former military officials told AP that disclosing such specific "strike window" and "target terrorist" information on an unsecured platform ahead of an operation is typically strictly forbidden.
However, the probe did not find that Hegseth improperly declassified the material, acknowledging his broad authority as Defence Secretary to declassify information at his discretion. In a written statement to investigators, Hegseth asserted his right to declassify information as he saw fit and maintained that the details he shared would not compromise the mission's security.
The Signal Chats and Evidence Hurdles
The scrutiny over Hegseth's use of Signal, an app not authorised for classified military communications, intensified after a significant security lapse. Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic was accidentally added to a confidential chat thread by then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. This thread, meant to discuss operations against the Houthis on March 15, included high-ranking officials like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Furthermore, the report states that Hegseth created a separate Signal group with 13 individuals, including his wife and brother, where he disseminated similar specific information about the impending military action. The investigation faced major obstacles in gathering evidence. One source indicated that the inspector general's office had to depend on screenshots of the chats published by The Atlantic because Hegseth could only provide a limited number of his own messages.
Political Fallout and Official Responses
The findings have been delivered to US lawmakers in a classified briefing, with a redacted public version anticipated soon. The report has sharply deepened existing partisan divisions concerning Hegseth's leadership and judgement.
In a strong defence, Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell declared the review a "TOTAL exoneration," stating it proved no classified information was improperly shared and that the case is now closed. The White House echoed this support, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that President Donald Trump "stands by" his Defence Secretary, noting the probe affirmed that operational security was not ultimately breached.
Despite these assertions of vindication, the inspector general's central conclusion remains clear: the use of an unauthorised personal messaging app to discuss live combat operations placed US forces and their objectives at unnecessary risk.
