Pentagon Watchdog Says Hegseth’s Signal Use Put Troops At Risk

The Pentagon inspector general found Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive Yemen strike plans risked exposing U.S. tactics and endangering troops — even as the watchdog concluded he had the authority to do so, according to three people familiar with the findings.

The IG will release two reports Thursday, the people said. The first, which addresses Hegseth’s messages, found that he did not violate the government’s classification rules because he can legally declassify information before sending it.

But it also said Hegseth, by sharing information about an unfolding operation, risked compromising sensitive military information in ways that could endanger U.S. troops and missions, according to the people.

The second report reached a broader judgment that the Pentagon still lacks a secure, government-issued messaging platform suitable for real-time coordination, the people said, leaving top officials dependent on commercial apps that don’t meet security requirements.

The reports conclude a nine-month investigation into whether the Pentagon chief violated the agency’s standards for sharing classified information and put troops in danger. It comes as Hegseth faces scrutiny for his role in a second strike against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean that killed survivors wounded from a first hit.

The inspector general conducted the investigation after Hegseth and other members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former national security adviser Mike Waltz, used the publicly available app to discuss military operations against Houthi fighters in Yemen in a group to which a journalist was inadvertently added.

Lawmakers in both parties, including Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), had pushed for the agency’s watchdog to look into Hegseth’s messages and participation in the chat. The Pentagon inspector general announced in early April that it was opening an investigation.

The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNN first reported the IG’s conclusion about endangering troops.

Hegseth refused to sit down for an interview with the IG and provided only a written statement, said a person who read the report. The person, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss details of a report not yet public. The person also said the report relied heavily on screenshots of the messages published by The Atlantic, which had access to the texts from the journalist who worked there, as Hegseth provided only a “handful” of the Signal messages he sent.

Both Wicker and Jack Reed declined to comment when asked Wednesday about the report.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of the committee, confirmed that he reviewed the report Wednesday in a secure Senate space. He noted the report “is all classified,” but said that Hegseth made the right decisions.

“If you read that, there’s no way that you can have any other opinion that he was well within his authority to do what he did and to do what he continued to do,” Mullin said.

Paul McLeary and Leo Shane contributed to this report.