🔗 Share this article Defense Department Report Concludes Defense Secretary Put Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Chat. A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by sharing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings. Details of the Incident The chat group in question contained details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a participant. Other officials in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Pentagon. Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for transmitting classified information. Serious Risk to Troops The internal investigation determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation. However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he actually did so. Hegseth's Reaction The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a short written response. In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan. Future Actions The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public later this week.