Pentagon chief shared sensitive Yemen attack details in second Signal chat
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The news: US defence chief Pete Hegseth shared information about US air strikes on Yemen in a second group chat on Signal, according to media reports.
The context: In mid-March, Hegseth sent messages which included flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets tasked with striking Houthi targets to a Signal group that included his wife, brother and personal attorney.
The messages were sent on the same day that Hegseth shared similar details in a different Signal chat set up by US National Security adviser Mike Waltz, which had inadvertently included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Hegseth’s brother, Phil Hegseth, and personal attorney, Tim Parlatore, both hold positions at the Pentagon, but it is unclear as to why either would require advance knowledge of the Houthi Strikes. Hegseth’s wife Jennifers is a former Fox News producer and does not hold an official role with the Department of Defense.
Responding to the media reports on Sunday, US Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X: “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump's agenda.”
When details first leaked about the first Signal chat leak, former US officials and national security experts said such timing and targeting information is typically highly classified and should not appear on a commercially available, nonsecure messaging platform.
The sources: Reuters, CBS News, Capital Brief, Sean Parnell X
