Inspector general finds Defense Secretary’s use of personal phone and encrypted messaging app violated federal communication policy, though no classified data was shared.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
War Secretary Pete Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by using his personal phone and the encrypted Signal app to discuss U.S. military operations, according to a newly released Department of Defense Inspector General (DoDIG) report. The watchdog found that while Hegseth did not share classified material, his actions failed to comply with established information security procedures and risked potential compromise.
Investigators determined that Hegseth disclosed “sensitive, nonpublic, operational information” about U.S. strikes on Houthi rebel targets in March over Signal, a non-approved commercial messaging platform. The report concluded that his conduct breached DoD Instruction 8170.01, which prohibits the use of personal devices and unauthorized applications for official communications.
“We concluded that the Secretary sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information that he determined did not require classification over the Signal chat on his personal cell phone,” the report said. “However, because the Secretary indicated that he used the Signal application on his personal cell phone to send nonpublic DoD information, we concluded that the Secretary’s actions did not comply with DoD policy.”
Hegseth, as the Pentagon’s top classification authority under Executive Order 13526, had the right to determine whether material warranted classification. He judged the information shared in the chat as “non-specific general details” about operations, which he considered unclassified and permissible.
Unauthorized Chat and Accidental Leak
The controversy—dubbed “Signalgate” by critics—emerged after then–National Security Advisor and current U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz mistakenly included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing Houthi strike planning. The times mentioned by Hegseth in the chat reportedly matched the actual timing of U.S. military operations.
The Pentagon later denied that any classified data was disclosed, describing the inspector general’s findings as a “total exoneration” of Hegseth’s actions. Goldberg did not publish details until after the strikes were completed, and the operations proceeded without incident.
However, the inspector general emphasized that the lapse posed an unnecessary security risk and violated Pentagon policy regarding electronic communications. A separate DoDIG policy report warned that Defense personnel’s use of non–DoD-controlled messaging systems “may have jeopardized DoD operations or missions.”
The investigation also found that Hegseth did not turn over his cellphone for examination, raising additional questions about record retention and documentation compliance.
Sensitive But Not Classified
Despite the policy breach, the watchdog acknowledged that Hegseth’s authority as secretary gave him discretion to decide whether the operational details required classification. No evidence indicated that the leak of unclassified information caused harm to U.S. operations.
The Red Sea strikes, which targeted Houthi positions responsible for widespread disruption of global shipping lanes, went forward successfully. The incident has nonetheless reignited debate inside the Pentagon over balancing operational transparency with information security in an era where senior officials increasingly rely on encrypted messaging platforms.
The DoDIG’s report underscores a growing concern that the use of third-party apps—even for unclassified exchanges—could erode cybersecurity safeguards at the highest levels of government. As one Pentagon official summarized privately: the content wasn’t the problem—the channel was.
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