Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing intensifying scrutiny after it was revealed he shared detailed military plans for U.S. strikes in Yemen in a private Signal chat that included his wife, brother, and close associates, raising concerns about judgment and information security within the Department of Defense.
Three individuals familiar with the chat confirmed that Hegseth used his personal phone to relay information about the timing and targets of an airstrike campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The chat, which included approximately 13 people, was initially created during Hegseth's confirmation process to coordinate messaging but remained active after he assumed office.
Among those in the chat were Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer with no official role at the Pentagon, and his brother Phil, who serves as a senior adviser and liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. The chat also included two advisers-Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick-who were fired last week amid accusations of leaking sensitive information, which they deny.
The disclosure of a second Signal group compounds concerns first raised last month when The Atlantic revealed a separate chat involving Cabinet-level officials, in which Hegseth had also shared classified strike plans. That group became public after National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added a journalist.
John Ullyot, Hegseth's former press secretary, called the situation "a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon," writing in an op-ed that "the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president - who deserves better from his senior leadership."
The Pentagon has not confirmed whether all members of Hegseth's private Signal chat held security clearances. The use of personal devices and inclusion of non-government personnel in sensitive communications has drawn criticism from national security experts.
"The orders are excellent. We don't shoot on an ambulance unless they are clearly identified terrorists," Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, overseeing internal IDF reviews, said on a separate matter, illustrating broader concerns about adherence to rules of engagement and procedural discipline in U.S. military conduct abroad.
The recent shake-up within Hegseth's office has included the firing of top aides and the reassignment of Chief of Staff Joe Kasper, who has since resigned. Hegseth, who previously hosted weekend programs on Fox News, has not publicly addressed the Signal chats or the firings, avoiding scheduled press engagements last week.
Caldwell, Selnick, and Colin Carroll, another dismissed adviser, said in a joint statement, "We still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of 'leaks' to begin with."
The controversy unfolds as the Pentagon manages concurrent crises, including sustained operations in the Middle East, heightened tensions in the Red Sea, and deployments to the southern U.S. border. Hegseth's leadership is under internal and external review, with the Department of Defense Inspector General probing the leaks and decision-making processes in his office.
Despite calls for transparency, no lie detector tests have been administered to the dismissed officials. "Unfortunately, after a terrible month, the Pentagon focus is no longer on warfighting, but on endless drama," Ullyot wrote.
