New controversy has swirled around US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after it was exposed that he leaked sensitive information about the March 15 airstrikes in Yemen on a private Signal group chat. According to the New York Times report, the chat had his wife, brother, and personal lawyer among others, and exposed grave concerns about the Trump administration's management of national security procedures.

The New York Times, citing four sources familiar with the group, reported that Hegseth shared classified information about US military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The conversation contained details of the flight schedules of F/A-18 Hornets that were to conduct the airstrikes. This is the second time Hegseth is reported to have shared information through Signal, an encrypted messaging app not cleared for classified communications.

"Defense | Team Huddle" Chat Had Personal Contacts

In contrast to the previous chat revealed by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, which was inadvertently posted to senior national security officials, the second group was established by Hegseth in January and was allegedly titled "Defense | Team Huddle". This group chat, conducted via Hegseth's phone, comprised members of his personal and professional inner circle, such as his wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer. Jennifer Hegseth has in the past been in the spotlight following stories published by the Wall Street Journal indicating that she had participated in top-level meetings with foreign military counterparts, even though she was not cleared for any official security clearance.

Schumer Calls for Firing "Immediately": "He Put Lives at Risk"

The revelations had a swift reaction from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”He contends that the constant utilization of Signal for sharing sensitive information on national security indicates a tendency of the Pentagon chief appointed by Trump towards carelessness. Such unsecured and casual communication avenues not only erode operational secrecy but also put American personnel deployed abroad at risk of losing their lives.

Internal Pentagon Turmoil: Advisers Escorted Out

To add to the crisis, one of Hegseth's top advisors, Dan Caldwell, was reportedly led out of the Pentagon last week amid an investigation into an internal leak. Two other officials, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, were also put on administrative leave as part of the investigation. The increasing number of security leaks is challenging Hegseth's judgment and leadership in managing one of the world's most sensitive defense institutions. His history as a Fox News weekend anchor and quick promotion through the Trump administration have already been criticized by national security professionals. Though Hegseth claims that "nobody was texting war plans".

No Immediate Comment from Pentagon or White House

So far, the Pentagon and White House have not commented on media requests. In the meantime, political pressure mounts on President Trump to take action against Hegseth.