Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth exposed war plans in a group chat with a journalist two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen, as reported by The Atlantic. The chat took place on the app Signal and included senior members of President Trump’s national security team. The information disclosed in the chat included operational details of the strikes on Yemen, which could have potentially put American military and intelligence personnel at risk if read by adversaries.
The breach of national security protocols was considered extraordinary because the conversation occurred outside of secure government channels typically used for classified war planning. Pentagon officials expressed shock at the use of a commercial chat group for discussing sensitive military operations. Additionally, revealing operational war plans prior to attacks could endanger American troops directly.
The incident has raised concerns among lawmakers, with some calling it a failure of operational security. While Republican senators expressed worries, some emphasized the need for a full briefing before taking any action. There have been calls for investigations into the matter to determine the extent of the security breach.
Mr. Hegseth, who is now traveling on an official trip, denied texting war plans but was contradicted by the National Security Council, which confirmed the authenticity of the chat thread. The State Department declined to comment on Secretary Rubio’s participation in the chat. The incident has drawn comparisons to past criticisms of politicians using private channels for sensitive communications, with social media posts resurfacing related to previous comments made by Mr. Hegseth and others.
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