The acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense will investigate Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app in a group chat with national security officials regarding military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen last month, the IG’s office announced on Thursday.
In a letter to Hegseth, Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins stated that the review aims to determine if Hegseth and other Pentagon staff followed DoD policies for using commercial messaging apps for official business. The investigation will also look into whether Hegseth adhered to classification and records retention rules. The review will be conducted in both Washington, DC, and at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida.
This inquiry follows a request from the Senate Armed Services Committee after The Atlantic reported that Hegseth and senior officials discussed the military strikes using Signal. The details shared by Hegseth, including the timing of the strikes and the aircraft and weapons involved, were highly classified at the time, according to reports. The texts released by The Atlantic showed that Hegseth shared the information with the group, including the vice president and national security adviser, 30 minutes before the operation began.
US officials, however, have stated that the information was not classified, and Hegseth’s spokesperson, Sean Parnell, denied any classified details were disclosed. “These additional Signal chat messages confirm there were no classified materials or war plans shared,” Parnell said. “The Secretary was just updating the group on a plan that was already briefed through official channels.” Stebbins’ investigation may require Hegseth to provide materials for review.
Stebbins, who served as the Pentagon’s deputy IG, became acting IG after President Trump dismissed Robert Storch and several other inspectors general in the early days of his administration.
