Pentagon Skips Damage Assessment After Hegseth Shared Strike Plans on Signal
The Pentagon did not conduct a routine investigation into whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s disclosure of sensitive military strike plans over the encrypted messaging app Signal damaged national security and officials say that’s because he never authorized one.
Normally, an unauthorized disclosure of defense information triggers a classification review and damage assessment to determine whether operational details have been compromised and what risk that poses. But Pentagon sources say Hegseth declined to order such a review after the Signal messages became public earlier this year.
Instead of a damage assessment, Hegseth reportedly turned his attention inward, focusing on investigating suspected leakers within his own staff, including by pushing for polygraph tests of defense officials he believed were sharing potentially embarrassing details. Multiple current and former officials say that approach had a chilling effect on Pentagon personnel.
A Pentagon official told CNN that the department typically waits for an inspector general report before deciding whether to open a damage assessment, and since the IG concluded that no classified information was shared in the Signal chat, officials saw no need for further review. Other experts say a damage assessment would still be expected in cases involving operational details of imminent military action.
The internal watchdog’s report also found that Hegseth used a personal device and unapproved messaging app to send operational information about Yemen strike plans and that while he has the authority to declassify material, there’s no documented evidence he properly did so.
The lack of a broader investigation raises questions about how the Pentagon evaluates potential security risks when senior officials handle sensitive information outside secure channels. Next, lawmakers may weigh whether additional oversight or formal inquiries are required.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.