U.S. Defense Secretary leaks war plans by adding a journalist in encrypted group chat

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed sensitive military plans for an imminent strike on Yemen in an encrypted group chat that included a journalist, two hours before the attack was launched. The leak was confirmed by the White House on Monday, following an account published by The Atlantic.

According to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, he was mistakenly added to the encrypted messaging app Signal group by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. This unintentional inclusion allowed Goldberg to monitor internal discussions among high-ranking members of President Trump’s national security team in the lead-up to the military operation against the Houthi militia in Yemen.

The conversation, which took place outside of secure government communication channels, reportedly included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At 11:44 a.m. on March 15, Hegseth posted detailed information about the strike, including target locations, weaponry, and attack sequencing. If adversaries had gained access to the chat, this information could have compromised U.S. military personnel and operations in the Middle East, as it would have provided critical intelligence about the strike’s timing and objectives.

Goldberg, who was privy to these sensitive details, described the moment he learned of the plans as chilling. He recounted waiting in a supermarket parking lot at 1:45 p.m., the scheduled time for the first detonations in Yemen. As predicted, initial airstrikes began at around 1:55 p.m. and continued for several days, targeting Houthi leadership strongholds in Sana, Yemen’s capital.

While Hegseth assured the group that steps had been taken to protect operational security, Defense Department officials expressed alarm at the breach. The use of a commercial messaging platform like Signal for discussing classified military operations could potentially violate the Espionage Act, which governs the handling of sensitive government information. The breach could have placed American troops at risk, and former FBI officials suggested it was a devastating security lapse.

If personal cellphones were used in the chat, the situation would be even more troubling, given ongoing cybersecurity threats, including Chinese hacking efforts aimed at compromising sensitive U.S. communications.

This incident underscores the risks associated with using unsecured platforms for official discussions and raises serious questions about the handling of classified information by senior government officials.