Pentagon Report Concludes Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.

A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.

Particulars of the Incident

The online conversation in question included particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.

Other individuals in the chat reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.

Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.

Serious Threat to Troops

The inspector general's report found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.

However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.

Secretary's Response

The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.

In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.

Future Actions

The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.