Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about impending U.S. airstrikes in Yemen with a private Signal group that included his wife, brother, and personal attorney, according to sources. The messages, sent on March 15, included flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets tasked with striking Houthi targets. Hegseth also inadvertently shared similar operational details in a separate chat with The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, raising concerns about how senior officials handle sensitive military information.
Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, received the messages despite holding no official role at the Department of Defense. Included in the chat were Hegseth’s brother and personal attorney, neither of whom appeared to require advance knowledge of strike plans. The Defense Department spokesperson, Sean Parnell, stated that there was no classified information in any Signal chat and accused media outlets of relying on disgruntled former employees as sources.
Signal is an encrypted messaging service used primarily for text messaging, with features such as disappearing messages and no collection or storage of sensitive information. While it offers stronger encryption than standard text messaging services, it is not fully secure. The incident has raised questions about the handling of sensitive military information by senior officials, especially in light of the involvement of individuals with no official roles at the Department of Defense.
As the story unfolds, it remains to be seen how the Defense Department will address the situation and ensure that sensitive military information is handled securely and responsibly by all individuals involved.
