Pete Hegseth reportedly spilled Yemen attack details in another Signal chat

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pre-Appointment Signal Chat Raises Concerns

According to The New York Times, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly shared sensitive details about the military strikes in Yemen on March 15th in a Signal chat. This particular chat wasn't limited to government officials; it included his wife and around a dozen others from his personal and professional circles. These details were sourced from four unnamed individuals familiar with the conversations.

The information Hegseth shared included the flight schedules of the F/A-18 Hornets involved in targeting the Houthis in Yemen. The Times notes that this was similar to the information mistakenly shared in another Signal chat with Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg last month.

Details of the Chat

However, the chat in question was initiated by Hegseth himself in January, before he became Defense Secretary. Named "Defense | Team Huddle," it was accessed via his private phone, not his government-issued device. Sources told The Times that Hegseth generally avoided discussing sensitive military operations in this chat, and it did not involve other cabinet-level officials.

A US official acknowledged the existence of this informal group chat but insisted that no classified information was ever discussed within it. The official declined to comment on whether Hegseth shared detailed targeting information, according to the report.

Warnings and Recommendations

Further details revealed that Hegseth's aides had cautioned him a day or two before the Yemen strikes against discussing such sensitive operational details in his Signal group chat. Some aides even advised him to transfer any work-related discussions to his government phone, a suggestion he did not follow.