U.S. Secretary of Defense Leaked Military Operation Data in Group Chat

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared classified information about upcoming military strikes in Yemen in a group chat that included his relatives and personal lawyer.

The New York Times reported on this, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the correspondence.

Hegseth shared plans for an upcoming U.S. military strike operation in Yemen that took place on March 15 in an encrypted Signal group chat. The participants in the chat included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer Timothy Parlatore, who had no direct need for access to this information.

Sources told the publication that the information shared in the Defense | Team Huddle chat had included the flight schedules of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, which had been set to carry out strike missions against the Houthis in Yemen.

Essentially, these were the same attack plans that Hegseth had shared that same day in another well-known Signal chat for U.S. officials, where a journalist from The Atlantic was mistakenly included. At that time, the publication revealed the exchange of classified information between government officials on unauthorized social media platforms and disclosed some details of a completed military operation, which caused a scandal at the highest level.

The disclosure of information in both chats is currently being considered a serious violation, which could have consequences both for the Secretary of Defense and for those who received this information.

Defense | Team Huddle

It is known that the group chat was created back in January, before Hegseth was confirmed as Secretary of Defense. In addition to his wife, the chat included about a dozen people from his personal and professional circle. The chat was not used for regular discussions of military operations, but on March 15, the minister broke this practice.

Hegseth’s wife, who previously worked as a producer at Fox News, is not an employee of the Department of Defense. However, she regularly accompanies her husband on official trips, which has repeatedly sparked criticism due to her presence at sensitive meetings with foreign leaders.

Hegseth’s brother, Phil, and his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, hold positions at the Pentagon, but the reasons for their being informed about upcoming military operations aimed at the Houthis in Yemen remain unclear.

The encrypted group also included two of Hegseth’s senior advisers — Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick. Both were recently dismissed following allegations of unauthorized information leaks, which only heightened suspicions about the improper use of the communication channel to discuss confidential matters.

For communication in this chat, Hegseth used a personal phone, which adds to the criticism, as it goes beyond established security protocols.

Militarnyi previously reported that the U.S. department DOGE, led by Elon Musk, was suspected of organizing a large-scale leak of confidential databases to unknown recipients in Russia.