On March 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of planned U.S. airstrikes on Yemen via a Signal group chat from his residence in Tennessee. The information originated from a classified email labeled SECRET//NOFORN sent by Gen. Michael Kurilla to multiple defense officials, triggering a Pentagon inspector general review.
Senior Pentagon officials, including spokesman Sean Parnell, denied classified data was shared via Signal, while critics called the chat a significant security breach. Parnell stated, “no classified information was shared via Signal,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., demanded clarity on classification, and Hegseth praised the mission’s success.
The controversy led to congressional hearings in June, internal Pentagon scrutiny and calls from Democrats to fire Hegseth amid an ongoing inspector general investigation.
