Classified War Plans Leaked via Signal Group Chat
Senior officials discussed classified military strike plans against Yemen's Houthis on Signal — and accidentally added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to the group chat, leaking operational details hours before the strikes.
In March 2025, senior Trump administration officials — including the Secretary of Defense, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Gabbard — used the consumer messaging app Signal to discuss classified military strike plans against Yemen's Houthi forces.
In a catastrophic security failure, someone in the group accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to the 18-member chat titled "Houthi PC small group." Goldberg received the operational details of the March 15 airstrikes hours before they occurred.
Key aspects of the breach:
- Signal is not approved for transmitting classified information
- The messages included specific timing and targeting details for imminent military operations
- The government acknowledged the messages were authentic
- 18 senior national security officials were in the chat
When asked about the incident, Trump dismissed it saying "it can happen." Under any previous administration, the accidental disclosure of active military strike plans to a journalist would have been treated as a major national security incident warranting investigation and consequences. Instead, no one was disciplined or removed.