Pentagon report says Hegseth risked endangering troops by revealing sensitive information on Signal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing a growing number of open fronts and criticisms. A report by the Pentagon’s acting inspector general says he risked endangering troops when he sent messages containing classified information about strikes in Yemen to a social media chat group last spring, in the scandal dubbed “Signalgate.” Meanwhile, the secretary is under scrutiny for a potential war crime in the double attack on an alleged drug-running boat in the Caribbean, in which the follow-up strike killed two survivors of the first attack. The admiral to whom Hegseth attributes the decision to strike again is testifying behind closed doors before Congress this Thursday.

Furthermore, as tensions continue to rise regarding a potential U.S. attack on Venezuelan territory, The Wall Street Journal reports that Hegseth forced the resignation of the head of Southern Command — responsible for U.S. forces deployed in Latin America — Admiral Alvin Holsey, in October, a month after the campaign of attacks against drug-running boats had begun. The four-star military head’s departure took effect this December, after barely a year in the post, an unusual occurrence in the U.S. Armed Forces, and it caused astonishment among experts and legislators given the U.S. military operation underway in the area under Southern Command’s control.

The report on Signalgate, compiled over months by the Pentagon inspector general’s office, will be made public this Thursday, but a copy has already been given to Hegseth himself and its contents have been handed out to senators and congressmembers on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The document finds that by using Signal, a commercial social media platform, and by sharing information about an ongoing military operation, the Secretary of Defense risked revealing U.S. military tactics and exposing U.S. soldiers. However, it does not accuse him of disclosing classified information, determining instead that the former Fox News host has the authority to declassify any information he chooses before sending it. The document does not offer an opinion on whether Hegseth’s declassification policy is appropriate.

A second report warns that the Pentagon lacks a secure, government-specific platform for sending messages and coordinating in real time, forcing senior officials to resort to commercial tools that do not meet the necessary security requirements.

The reports are the result of a nine-month investigation that began after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the progressive magazine The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to a chat group on the encrypted platform last March. In the group, senior Trump administration officials were exchanging information and remarks about an operation to bomb Yemen. The journalist, who initially thought it was some kind of prank, revealed the group’s existence when he verified its authenticity and confirmed that the messages had indeed been describing a real operation to bomb Houthi militia facilities in Yemen.

The revelation cost then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz his job, as he was the one who mistakenly included Goldberg in the group. Following the error, Waltz was nominated as ambassador to the UN, a post to which he was confirmed that summer, and his duties as coordinator of U.S. foreign policy were subsequently assumed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In response to the scandal, lawmakers from both parties demanded that the Pentagon’s inspector general, responsible for ensuring the department complies with its internal rules, examine the case. In April, the inspector general announced the opening of an investigation. That same month, it emerged that Hegseth had shared sensitive information in a second chat group that also included his wife and brother.

Strikes in the Caribbean

The report is being released as Hegseth faces scrutiny over the events of September 2, the date of the first of several attacks carried out by U.S. forces against suspected drug-running boats in the Caribbean. Eleven people died in that attack, and the Trump administration declared there were no survivors. However, The Washington Post reported last week that two people remained alive, clinging to the wreckage of the boat, after the initial strike. The newspaper also claims that Hegseth had given a verbal order to “kill them all.” A follow-up strike finished off the two survivors.

The armed forces committees in the U.S. Senate and House are planning separate investigations into the incident, which could constitute a war crime. The Navy’s wartime conduct manual specifically mentions an order to kill survivors in the water as an example of an illegal order that subordinates must disobey.

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