As a long-time military planner and operator, I’m appalled by revelations that any government official was using the commercial chat app Signal to communicate deliberations and execution details about a US strike at Houthi targets in Yemen. It’s all the more appalling that the perpetrators were, among others, the Vice President, SECDEF, National Security Adviser (NSA), CIA Chief, and Director of National Intelligence (DNI). These big-wigs have access to classified comms 24/7, anywhere in the world, so why would they discuss classified operations on an unclassified system? In my time of service, such a breach would result in somebody getting fired, losing their security clearance, and/or facing jail time.
First, as far as SECDEF Hegseth now saying nothing in the discussion thread was classified, I call bullshit. Deliberations on the use of lethal military action in a foreign country is absolutely classified. This smells like when Trump said all the classified documents in the boxes he hauled down to Mar a Lago were declassified, because he had that authority. That didn’t float then, and doesn’t float now. Yes, SECDEF is an original classification authority, and he can declassify things, but it involves informing all of the military players of that declassification action. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts there was no such declassification action. I’d love for somebody to ask CDRUSCENTCOM, the 4-star combatant commander for the CENTCOM AOR, if he was aware of any declassification decisions for this operation in his AOR (area of responsibility).
Jeffrey Goldberg, an Atlantic magazine correspondent was inadvertently included on this Signal group chat. That’s how we know about this. SECDEF Hegseth’s texts above, appeared on the chat at 11:44 AM Eastern on Saturday, March 15, the same day as the strike happened. So, 31 minutes before the first F-18 strike package launched, and 2 hours before first time-on-target (TOT), Hegseth transmitted the timing of aircraft launches and strikes, as well as some targeting info. This detail of an imminent military operation is most sensitive, and absolutely was classified when CENTCOM planners developed the plan. Anybody who would declassify it prior to execution is incompetent to be in any position of trust. If this information got into enemy hands, the enemy could move targets (people, munitions, weapon systems), and fortify and direct defensive systems. A security breach puts US forces at risk – aircraft could be more easily shot down, and ground enabling forces would be more at risk. I’d like to know exactly who was involved in moving that classified data from a classified computer system onto an unclassified system. If not against the law, it’s certainly against DoD regulations.
Another fun point is that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s fellow New York real estate titan and now Special Envoy to Russia, was actually in Moscow during this Signal chat, which he was on. Mr. Witkoff, during a Tucker Carlson interview on his return from Moscow, said that Vladmir Putin was a “good guy,” very cordial and generous in their meetings. Well, in this case, I’m sure Mr. Witkoff’s phone was in good hands at all times while in Moscow. The Russians are allies now, right?
Sounds like it was somebody on the NSA staff that inadvertently included the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in the chat group. That was bad. But worse, everybody on that group chat (except maybe Steve Witkoff and Sec of Treasury Bessent……both didn’t have a need to know, by the way) knew it was wrong to discuss classified information on an unclassified system. But taking the cake, and proving his total incompetence, is SECDEF Pete Hegseth. He is the one who transmitted the most sensitive operational details, putting the mission and American lives at risk. Hegseth should step down or be fired. As the organizer of this group chat on a non-secure system, NSA Mike Waltz should go too.
Hmmm, wonder how many other such Signal chats have gone on, or are ongoing?
Waipahu Bob 