Pentagon Watchdog Says Hegseth Endangered Troops by Using Signal for Yemen Strike Details

Overview

• A confidential inspector general report delivered to Congress concludes Secretary Pete Hegseth used the Signal app to share non‑public timelines and U.S. aircraft attack details for March strikes in Yemen, creating risk to personnel and operations.
• The review, led by interim inspector general Steven A. Stebbins, found that using an unauthorized commercial platform for imminent attack planning was inappropriate even though classification rules were not violated.
• Hegseth declined an interview, submitted only written responses, and provided few Signal messages, prompting investigators to rely heavily on publicly available screenshots and to cite failures to preserve records under federal law.
• The episode surfaced after The Atlantic’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a Signal group that included senior officials, and reporting later indicated Hegseth also shared similar details in a second chat that included family members.
• The White House and Pentagon defended Hegseth, saying no sensitive information was compromised, while separate bipartisan congressional probes continue into a September Caribbean strike.