The group discussing Yemen strikes included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg by mistake.
By Catholic for Catholics
An acting inspector general of the Pentagon determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s handling of a personal messaging app to discuss impending airstrikes by U.S. forces into Yemen earlier this year, jeopardized U.S. troops.
Scheduled to be released publicly Thursday, a report examined Hegseth’s involvement in a group chat on the Signal messaging app with several other senior Trump administration officials that became public because a journalist who was mistakenly added wrote about it, according to Fox News.
Hegseth’s actions “could have resulted in failed US mission objectives and potential harm to US pilots,” one source familiar with the report said, according to The New York Times.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson said of the report: “This Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along – no classified information was shared. This matter is resolved and the case is closed.”
According to Fox News, a classified form of the report has been turned over to the Senate Armed Services Committee and is available for members of the committee to view. An unclassified, redacted version will be made public on Thursday.
The report also said that Hegseth had declined to sit for an interview with the inspector general on the issue and in its place supplied a short written statement.
BREAKING: A Pentagon watchdog concluded that Sec. Hegseth risked exposing classified information that could have endangered U.S. troops when he relayed details about a planned military strike in Yemen using the Signal messaging app, according to sources. https://t.co/YdhbIS0tEs pic.twitter.com/SsY8ezr5Ie
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2025
In March, Michael Waltz, then the national security adviser, by mistake added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, to a chat called “Houthi PC small group” on the Signal app that included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House adviser Stephen Miller. The defense secretary passed along a detailed timeline of airstrikes on Houthi fighters and infrastructure in Yemen just two hours before the first bombs began falling on March 15.
Hegseth’s Signal messages disclosed F-18, Navy fighter aircraft, MQ-9s, drones and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the strike on the Houthis.
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),” Hegseth said in one message notifying the chat of high-level administration officials that the attack was about to kick off.
“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s),” he added, according to the report.
“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
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