Pentagon Probes Signal Message Deletion Amid Airstrike Leak

The Pentagon is facing fresh controversy this week as its internal watchdog has launched an investigation into whether staffers of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were instructed to delete encrypted Signal messages that may have contained sensitive military details. According to multiple sources familiar with the inquiry and documents reviewed by the Associated Press, the messages in question reportedly discussed the U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15.

The investigation, led by the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General, zeroes in on how and when information about those airstrikes was shared over Signal — a secure messaging app favored by journalists, politicians, and even government insiders for its end-to-end encryption. The timing could not be more sensitive for Hegseth, who is set to testify before Congress next week for the first time since his confirmation, where questions about his handling of military secrets are expected to take center stage.

The controversy comes on the heels of a string of other security lapses tied to Hegseth, including his decision to install an unsecured internet line in his Pentagon office that sidestepped Department of Defense cybersecurity protocols. Making matters worse, Hegseth had allegedly discussed operational military details in multiple Signal group chats — one of which included his wife and brother, while another featured top Trump-era national security officials. In a bizarre twist, one of these chats also mistakenly included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.

When pressed for comment, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson declined, citing the active investigation. The inspector general’s office has likewise kept quiet, though it confirmed that any unclassified sections of their final report will eventually be made public.

Sources familiar with the inquiry say investigators are looking not just into whether messages were deleted but also who originally posted the sensitive information and who had access to Hegseth’s personal phone at the time. Some of these sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, indicated that both current and former staffers are being questioned.

The incident has triggered bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill. Democratic lawmakers and a few Republicans have publicly criticized the situation, noting that sharing strike details before military jets had reached their targets could have endangered American pilots’ lives. They’ve pointed out that if a lower-ranking officer had done the same, it would likely have resulted in immediate dismissal.

Hegseth has tried to downplay the controversy. Speaking to Fox News in April, he insisted, “I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans. I look at war plans every day. What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations for media purposes and other things.”

Nonetheless, several current and former military officials have pushed back, saying that given the specificity of the details — and the fact they were shared before the operation — there’s no way it could be considered harmless, especially on an unsecured platform like Signal. While the app is widely used for encrypted messaging, it’s neither hackproof nor approved for classified communications. In fact, one day before the airstrikes, the Defense Department circulated a memo warning personnel about the app’s vulnerabilities.

Despite the storm swirling around him, Hegseth still enjoys the support of former President Donald Trump. At a recent Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump praised his embattled defense secretary, saying, “He’s gone through a lot, but he’s doing really well.”

Since the scandal broke, Hegseth has largely avoided the press. He has yet to hold a formal Pentagon briefing and has limited his public remarks to carefully controlled interviews.

Interestingly, the investigation was actually requested by both sides of the aisle — Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), the committee’s ranking Democrat. It’s a rare show of bipartisan agreement in an otherwise polarized environment.

The investigation sheds light on the growing friction between encrypted consumer apps and national security protocols. While tools like Signal are invaluable for protecting personal privacy, they remain a thorny issue for government agencies tasked with safeguarding state secrets. In an era of rapid digital communication, balancing operational security with instant messaging convenience has become a recurring challenge — and this latest incident highlights just how high the stakes can be.