An independent body within the Pentagon has concluded that the American Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, endangered his own troops by using the Signal messaging app to discuss airstrikes in Yemen.
The United States launched a military campaign at the beginning of 2025 against Houthi rebels in the name of safeguarding freedom of navigation and international trade passing through the Red Sea.
Former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, Mike Waltz, was dismissed in early May after a journalist from The Atlantic revealed that he had been accidentally added to a Signal discussion group about these attacks.
This time, an investigation conducted by an independent body within the Department of Defense concluded that Pete Hegseth, included in the discussion group, put the military at risk, according to the American press cited by AFP. The conversation contained messages in which Pete Hegseth disclosed the timing of the attacks hours before they occurred, as well as information about the military equipment used.
Democrats are calling for his resignation
Democratic Congressman Mark Warner, vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called for Hegseth’s resignation, writes The Guardian.
„Hegseth endangered the lives of American pilots aboard the USS Harry S. Truman as they prepared to launch a mission against terrorist targets. By sharing classified operational details in an unsecured chat group on his personal phone, he created unacceptable risks for their safety and our operational security,” Warner stated. The report also mentions that Hegseth had used Signal on other occasions for official activities, highlighting that it was not an isolated incident. „It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and lack of judgment on the part of a secretary who has repeatedly shown himself to be unfit for the responsibilities of the position. Pete Hegseth should resign, or the president should dismiss him immediately,” Warner declared.
Sean Parnell, Hegseth’s spokesperson, wrote on X that the investigation’s findings actually constitute a „COMPLETE exoneration” of the Secretary of Defense. „It demonstrates what we knew from the beginning: no classified information was shared,” added Sean Parnell, ensuring that the issue is closed.
Accused of ordering lethal attacks on drug traffickers
These revelations come at a time when the Pentagon chief is already embroiled in a media storm due to the US military’s actions in the Pacific, particularly in the Caribbean, as part of a so-called anti-drug campaign, without providing evidence of links between the targeted vessels and drug cartels. The Trump administration is criticized for these attacks, whose legality is questioned by experts. At the center of the recent controversy is an operation during which US forces launched a second salvo against a ship already hit, killing survivors.
In total, over 80 people have been killed in this military campaign.