According to two people with knowledge of the situation, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth had the client messaging apps Signal installed on a system in his Pentagon company so that he could send and receive quick information in a place where individual phones are not permitted.
Hegseth’s walk made it easier to communicate in a building where access to individual phones is lacking and cell service is lacking. The defense minister has two computers in his company, one for individual use and one for government use. In order to attach a personal computer to Signal, Hegseth had cables installed in the earlier part of March. According to the person, his secret assistant and young military aide Ricky Buria both had the same Signal capabilities.
Hegseth’s most recent discovery came shortly after a report from NYT that he had discussed very delicate and in-depth invasion plans with his wife, his stepson, and his private attorney days before a vision was launched against Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15.
Just before the strikes, he had discussed the same matters with senior national security officials in a group discussion. The Atlantic’s report that Jeffrey Goldberg, the organization’s editor, had been unintentionally included in the group chat made that conversation public. Hegseth’s use of Signal in his office was reportedly unconcerned by Trump administration officials.
The secretary of defense’s use of communication channels and systems is classified, according to chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. We can confirm that the secretary has never used Signal or is not currently using it on his government computer. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Signal is a government-approved app, and it was called “another nonstory.” Hegseth’s Yemen strike disclosures on Signal were being reviewed by Pentagon’s acting inspector general earlier this month. Senator Jack Reed, the committee’s senior Democrat, and senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the armed services committee, requested the review. Hegseth had shared sensitive or classified information during the group chat, the senators asked the inspector general to look into. Hegseth sent information about the strikes to US central command through a secure government system designed to transmit classified information.
Hegseth has also seen the dissolution of his inner circle of close advisors- military veterans who, like him, had little experience running large, complex organizations. The team members were escorted out of the building after being accused of leaking unauthorised information.
Hegseth has received support from President Trump and White House officials. Hegseth also irritated WH officials by booking himself for a Fox News interview on Tuesday morning, in which he accused fired advisers of fabricating information about him. He has been told by WH officials that they want to control the fractious staffing in his organization.
