US President Donald Trump’s top national security officials, including his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, sent battle plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, the magazine reported in a story posted online on Monday (March 24, 2025). The National Security Council said the text chain “appears to be authentic.”Mr Trump initially told reporters he was unaware that highly sensitive information had been shared, 2.5 hours after it was reported. He later appeared to joke about the breach.Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported that the contents of the text chain included “operational details of upcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US will deploy, and the order of attack.”It was not immediately clear whether the specifics of the military operation were classified, but they are often confidential and are kept secret at least in part to protect service members and operational security. The US has carried out airstrikes against the Houthis since the militant group began targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023.The US launched a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen just two hours after Goldberg received details of the attack on March 15.The National Security Council said in a statement that it was investigating how a journalist’s number was added to a Signal group chat that included Tulsi Gabbard, Mr Trump’s director of national intelligence, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Mike Waltz, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, who was also in the group chat.In his first comment on the matter, Mr Hegseth accused Goldberg of being a “deceiver” and a “disgraced so-called journalist,” while citing previous critical reporting of Trump from the publication. He did not shed light on why Signal was being used to discuss the sensitive operation or how Mr Goldberg came to be in the message chain.“Nobody sent a war plan, and that’s all I have to say about that,” Mr Hegseth told reporters after arriving in Hawaii on Monday, where he began his first trip to the Indo-Pacific as defence secretary.In a statement late Monday, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said the president still has “the utmost confidence” in Mr Waltz and the national security team.Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump told reporters, “I know nothing about it. This is the first time you’re telling me about it.” He added that The Atlantic is “not a special magazine.”By evening, the president had humorously sidestepped it. He forwarded a social media posting by Elon Musk that showed an article from a conservative satirical news site with the scathing headline: “4D Chess: Genius Trump leaks war plans to ‘Atlantic’ where no one will ever see them.”Government officials have used Signal for organisational correspondence, but it is not confidential and can be hacked. Privacy and technology experts say the popular end-to-end encrypted messaging and voice call app is more secure than traditional texting.The sharing of sensitive information comes as Mr Hegseth’s office has announced a crackdown on leaks of sensitive information, including the possible use of polygraphs on defence personnel to determine how journalists received information.Hegseth’s spokesman, Sean Parnell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the defence secretary posted combat operations plans on an unclassified app.Democratic lawmakers fiercely condemned the administration’s handling of highly sensitive information. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer demanded a full investigation.”This is one of the most shocking breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very long time,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a speech Monday afternoon.Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, “If true, this story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”He said American lives are “at risk. The recklessness displayed by Trump’s Cabinet is shocking and dangerous. I will demand immediate answers from the administration.”Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that he was “appalled” by the reports.Himes said if a lower-ranking official “did the things described here, they would likely lose their clearance and be subject to criminal investigation. The American people deserve answers,” adding that he planned to respond at a previously scheduled committee hearing on Wednesday.Some Republicans also expressed concern.The Justice Department investigated in 2015 and 2016 whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had conducted a criminal investigation.Talking on this topic, Priya Sehgal, a political analyst, said, “This incident highlights the flaws in the US administration’s handling of sensitive information. Sharing war plans on a secure messaging app can not only lead to a security breach, but it also shows the lack of secrecy and accountability within the administration. When such information becomes public, it can not only affect the success of military operations, but it can also weaken the US position internationally. It also indicates that the administration has serious irregularities in its working security processes and the flow of information to the media.”
Reporting to true-to-life news.