Pentagon IG Reviews SecDef Hegseth's Signal Use for Military Communications

The Pentagon's acting Inspector General, Steven Stebbins, has initiated a review into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the Signal messaging app to discuss military operations against Houthi militants in Yemen. This review follows a bipartisan request from Senators Roger Wicker and Jack Reed after it was revealed that a Signal chat, inadvertently including journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, contained sensitive information about the timing of U.S. airstrikes. The investigation aims to determine compliance with Department of Defense policies regarding the use of commercial messaging apps for official business, as well as adherence to classification and records retention requirements. Hegseth, along with other senior officials, has maintained that no classified information was disclosed, despite sharing precise attack timings. The incident has sparked demands from some lawmakers for Hegseth's resignation and calls for a special counsel to probe potential national security breaches.