| A MINDBOGGLING MISSTEP: As blunders go, this one is a doozy. But let's be clear at the outset, the mistake by national security adviser Mike Waltz was not accidentally adding a journalist to a classified text message discussion. It was a violation of the most basic operational security precautions by conducting a group chat about real-world, real-time war plans over a commercial messaging app, Signal. It's something specifically prohibited by an Oct. 6, 2023 DOD memorandum, which bars the use of "non-DOD messaging systems" and "unclassified systems, government-issued or otherwise, for classified national security information." The 18 people on the group chat were most of the nation’s top defense and intelligence officials, albeit many with little or no experience at their jobs. They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vice President J.D. Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, who appeared to be joining the encrypted text chain from Moscow. "I just can’t, to this moment, get over the idea that during the days that group was going on, not one of the participants said we shouldn’t be doing this on Signal," a flabbergasted John Bolton, former national security adviser, said on CNN. "Words fail me here. I cannot even imagine this happening." JOURNALIST WAS ADDED TO ENCRYPTED GROUP CHAT MADE UP OF TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM THAT DISCUSSED BOMBING HOUTHIS OOPSIE! ATLANTIC EDITOR ACCIDENTALLY INVITED: We would have likely never known about the reckless disregard for standard security protocols had it not been for that bane of the digital age: the errant text message. It all started March 14, two days before the U.S. unleashed punishing airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, received a notice that he was to be included in a Signal chat group named "Houthi PC small group." And therein lies the tale Goldberg lays out in his first-person article, which was published at 7 a.m. Monday and can be read in full here courtesy of a gift link. It's full of behind-the-scenes insights, complete with screenshots that show, among other things, Vance and Hegseth’s dislike of European “freeloaders" and Vance’s initial opposition to the strikes. But the most damning revelation is that, according to Goldberg, Hegseth, the neophyte defense secretary, made another rookie mistake when he shared detailed targeting plans on the unauthorized Signal chat. "I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if an adversary of the United States had read them, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command's area of responsibility," Goldberg writes. "What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” That, my friends, is a mistake that demands accountability, a point Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell made last week at his first Pentagon briefing. "If you have a private that loses a sensitive item, that loses night vision goggles, that loses a weapon, you can bet that that private is going to be held accountable. The same and equal standards must apply to senior military leaders." PANETTA: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S GROUP CHAT DEBACLE SHOULD LEAD TO FIRINGS HEGSETH: 'NOBODY WAS TEXTING WAR PLANS': Hegeth, confronted by reporters as he landed in Hawaii yesterday en route to Asia, reverted the same playbook he used during his confirmation hearings, admit nothing, deny everything, counterattack, and — according to Goldberg — lie. "So you’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist, who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes, time and time again, to include the, I don’t know, the hoaxes of 'Russia, Russia, Russia,' or the 'Fine people on both sides hoax,' or 'Suckers and losers hoax.' So this is the guy that peddles in garbage. This is what he does," Hegseth said. Pressed about why information about "targets, the types of weapons used, and the timing" were shared on the Signal chat, an angry Hegseth denied that ever happened. "Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that." "That’s a lie," Goldberg said on CNN last night, one of many media appearances he made yesterday. "He was texting war plans. He was texting attack plans, when targets were going to be targeted, how they were going to be targeted, who was at the targets, when the next sequence of attacks were happening." JEFFREY GOLDBERG SAYS HEGSETH LIED IN DISMISSING INTELLIGENCE LEAK QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, SO MANY QUESTIONS: The intelligence debacle — the worst breach of operational security in recent memory — raises so many troubling questions, including the obvious one. Why use Signal, when the Pentagon has so many secure classified ways to discuss sensitive intelligence? Congress has questions, too, which no doubt will produce fireworks what's promising to be must-see TV, unless, of course, it is canceled. Read on. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: It just so happens that two of the principles who should have known better than to be on that Signal group chat — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe — were previously scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the subject of “Worldwide Threats.” Also scheduled to appear before the committee are FBI Director Kash Patel; Gen. Timothy Haugh, director of the National Security Agency; and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "I can guarantee you that this topic is going to come up," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a member of the Intelligence Committee, said last night on CNN. "When you’re the Secretary of Defense or you’re the National Security adviser or the Secretary of State, they’ll often set up a secure facility for you in your house so you can have these kind of conversations. It should not be done on Signal." "So, I was pretty shocked by, you know, how not only that, this was done on this platform on Signal, but also just shocked about the lack of depth in the discussion before sending our Navy pilots over the beach to drop bombs where there is a significant threat," Kelly said. "It was almost like they were deciding to order a pizza. And it’s not the kind of conversation you would expect between the principals when they’re deciding to commit troops to combat in a foreign country." As of this morning the hearing was still on. CONGRESS IRATE OVER 'ASTONISHING' NATIONAL SECURITY BREACH IGNORANCE, ARROGANCE, OR DECEPTION? One overriding question hanging over the whole stupefyingly boneheaded blunder is why, when everyone in the group chat knew or should have known that it violated clear proposals, no one objected or suggested moving the discussion to a secure venue. Ignorance of the ban on "unclassified mobile applications" doesn’t seem likely. So, was it a case of arrogance? As in, the rules don't apply to me, and Signal is the most convenient way to communicate with everyone at once. Or, as some suspect, is the Trump administration routinely using Signal, with its disappearing message feature, to keep their private discussions from becoming part of the public record or being revealed under Freedom of Information laws? "Waltz set some of the messages in the Signal group to disappear after one week, and some after four," Goldberg revealed. "That raises questions about whether the officials may have violated federal records law: Text messages about official acts are considered records that should be preserved." "The fact that messages were set to disappear on this chain is a direct violation of the Presidential Records Act, a further egregious breach of public trust," wrote Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in a letter to President Donald Trump signed by 14 Democratic senators. "This incompetence warrants disciplinary action." "What other sensitive military operations have been coordinated by your administration via Signal?" the senators ask. "Will you comply with the Presidential Records Act and provide the text of the "Houthi PC small group" Signal chain for appropriate handling and preservation?" TRUMP: 'I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT': Hours after the story broke in the early morning, Trump insisted that nobody told him about it. "I don’t know anything about it," Trump said before transitioning to his standard rant against the news media that run critical stories about him. "I’m not a big fan of the Atlantic. To me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine." When a reporter said that his national security team was using Signal to coordinate the strikes on the Houthis, Trump again pleaded ignorance. "The attack was very effective, I can tell you that. I don’t know anything about it," Trump said. "You’re telling me about it for the first time." 'THESE PEOPLE ARE CLEARLY NOT UP FOR THE JOB': Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took to the Senate floor to call for a bipartisan investigation and questioned whether Trump's national security team — and Pete Hegseth in particular — are in over their heads. "We warned that confirming them was dangerous, and that they would behave recklessly. Unfortunately, we were right," Schumer said. "When Pete Hegseth came before the Senate as a nominee, Democrats warned that something like this might happen. These people are clearly not up for the job." "Now, we must have accountability, and both parties in the Senate should investigate how this blunder was even possible … This debacle requires a full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created, and how we can avoid it in the future," Schumer said. "Every single Senator – Republican and Democrat and Independent – must demand accountability." DOING THE WORLD A FAVOR? REALLY? One of the interesting revelations in the text discussions monitored by Jeffrey Goldberg was the back and forth over how to force other countries to pick up the cost of the U.S. operation to restore freedom of navigation to the Bab el Mandeb strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said in several forums the U.S. is doing as "a favor to the world." Turns out the favor comes with a bill, or will as soon as the Trump team can figure out who to charge. "It will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes," Mike Waltz says at one point. "Per the president's request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans." At another point, J.D. Vance says, "I just hate bailing Europe out again," to which Pete Hegseth responds, "I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close." "As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return," says someone with the initials SM, which appears to be Steven Miller, deputy chief of staff, chiming in from the White House. "We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn't remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return." "Agree," said Hegseth. TRUMP ORDERS 'UNRELENTING' MILITARY CAMPAIGN TO END THE HOUTHIS' THREAT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Journalist was added to encrypted group chat made up of Trump national security team that discussed bombing Houthis Washington Examiner: Hegseth dismisses leaked Houthi plans and condemns journalist involved Washington Examiner: Jeffrey Goldberg says Hegseth lied in dismissing intelligence leak Washington Examiner: Congress irate over 'astonishing' national security breach Washington Examiner: Panetta: Trump administration's group chat debacle should lead to firings Washington Examiner: DOJ invoking state secrets privilege to deny Boasberg information in deportation case Washington Examiner: Greenlandic leaders blast Usha Vance-Mike Waltz visit Washington Examiner: Pentagon DEI removal efforts marred by 'incorrectly' flagged content Washington Examiner: Netanyahu faces internal 'civil war' as IDF bombards Gaza Washington Examiner: Turkey arrests over 1,300 Istanbul protesters as Erdogan rebukes 'movement of violence' Washington Examiner: Trump orders 'unrelenting' military campaign to end the Houthis' threat against international shipping Washington Examiner: Judge denies Trump's bid to resume Alien Enemies Act deportations Washington Examiner: Full interview: Head of US Border Patrol Michael W. Banks Time: Exclusive: Zelensky on Trump, Putin, and the Endgame in Ukraine The Atlantic: The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans The Economist: The American and Russian right are aligning Defense One: Pentagon's Use of Commercial Telecoms Draw Scrutiny After Chinese Breaches Air & Space Forces Magazine: Senate Confirms Trump's Pick to Lead Navy and Marine Corps Air & Space Forces Magazine: NATO to Focus on 'Realistic Combat Scenarios' in Ramstein Flag 2025 Breaking Defense: Turkey Sees Opening for 'Increased' Strategic Engagement with Trump Admin: Official Air & Space Forces Magazine: How DOD Could Recoup Its Investment in Ukraine's Long-Range Drones The War Zone: F-47 Fighter Reveal Draws New Attention to USAF Stealth Tanker Plans Air & Space Forces Magazine: How to Prioritize DOD's Budget: Experts Try It—and So Can You Military.com: Hill Air Force Base Closes Day Care Center Following Trump Administration Hiring Freeze Breaking Defense: The 'Reveal and Conceal Game': Air Force Wargamers See Value in Mid-Conflict Deterrence Stars and Stripes: Kadena Should Receive Its First F-15EX Fighters Next Year, Wing Commander Says THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | MARCH 25 9:15 a.m. Huntsville, Alabama — Global Force Symposium and Exposition, with Gen. James Rainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Futures Command 10 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Intelligence Committee hearing: “Worldwide Threats," with testimony from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director John Ratcliffe; FBI Director Kash Patel; Gen. Timothy Haugh, director of the National Security Agency; and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency http://intelligence.senate.gov 11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “Building America’s Missile Defense Shield,” with Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE); Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK); Robert Peters, senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation; and Derrick Morgan executive vice president, Heritage Foundation https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/event/ 11 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council book discussion: “Putin’s Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine,” with author Lucian Kim, senior analyst for Ukraine at the International Crisis Group https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/lucian-kim-on-putins-revenge 2:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Committee Seapower Subcommittee hearing: “The State of Conventional Surface Shipbuilding,” with testimony from Brett Seidle, acting assistant secretary, Navy for research, development and acquisition; Vice Adm. James Downey, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command; and Shelby Oakley, director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 3:30 p.m.2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Readiness and Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee combined hearing: "Posture and Readiness, Mobility Enterprise," with testimony from Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander, U.S. Transportation Command https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/ WEDNESDAY | MARCH 26 TBA — Vice President J.D. Vance delivers remarks following a tour of Marine Corps Base Quantico. 9 a.m. 900 South Orme St., Arlington, Virginia — Irregular Warfare Center annual IWC symposium, March 26-27, with Jonathan Schroden, research program director at CNA https://web.cvent.com/event/ 9:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Space Command in review, Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander, U.S. Strategic Command; and Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 9:30 a.m. Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama — Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium, with Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan, deputy commanding general and acting commanding general of Army Materiel Command https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/35699 10 a.m. 1100 Longworth — House Intelligence Committee hearing: “The Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment,” with testimony from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director John Ratcliffe; FBI Director Kash Patel; Gen. Timothy Haugh, director, National Security Agency; and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director, Defense Intelligence Agency http://intelligence.house.gov 10 a.m. — Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies virtual discussion: “Russia’s Indigenous Communities and the War in Ukraine,” with Alexandra Garmazhapova, president, Free Buryatia Foundation; and Pavel Sulyandziga, visiting scholar at Dartmouth College https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/russias-indigenous-communities-and-war-ukraine 11 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “The criticality of space superiority and review the progress the Space Force is making to ensure it has the capabilities and combat-ready guardians to achieve it,” with Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations; and Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/sss-saltzman-25/ 12 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs book discussion: The Hand Behind Unmanned: Origins, U.S. Autonomous Military Arsenal, with co-author Jacquelyn Schneider, Hoover Institution fellow; and co-author Julia Macdonald, assistant professor at the University of Denver https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/the-hand-behind-unmanned-origins 12 p.m. — Hudson Institute discussion: “Bending the Defense Cost Curve,” with David Chu, adjunct senior fellow at the Institute for Defense Analysis; and Harold Furchtgott-Roth, director, Hudson Center for the Economics, Internet https://www.hudson.org/events/bending-defense-cost-curve-harold-furchtgott-roth 2:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing: “The Status, Military Service Academies,” with testimony from Army Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, superintendent, U.S. Military Academy; Vice Adm. l Yvette Davids, superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee hearing: "U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command — Challenges and Resource Priorities for Fiscal Year 2026," with testimony from Colby Jenkins, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict; and Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=5019 THURSDAY | MARCH 27 10 a.m. — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “NTSB Preliminary Report: DCA Midair Collision," with testimony from NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy http://commerce.senate.gov 11 a.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum: “Assessing the U.S. Military Campaign Against the Houthis,” with Michael Knights, WINEP senior fellow; Noam Raydan, WINEP senior fellow; and Elizabeth Dent, WINEP senior fellow https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register 2 p.m. — Defense One virtual forum: “State of the Army,” part of its “State of Defense” series, with Gen. Randy George, chief of staff, U.S. Army, https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense-2025/ 3:30 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual book discussion: The Hand Behind Unmanned: Origins, U.S. Autonomous Military Arsenal,” with co-author Jacquelyn Schneider, fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution; and co-author Julia Macdonald, research professor at the University of Denver’s School of International Studies https://www.cnas.org/events/the-future-of-military-artificial-intelligence FRIDAY | MARCH 28 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual discussion: “Major Power Rivalry and Nuclear Stability,” with former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Brad Roberts, director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center for Global Security Research https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/major-power-rivalry-and-nuclear-stability/ | | | | "There were planeloads of people. There were no procedures in place to notify people. Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here." | | U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett |
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Megyn Kelly -> Pete Hegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation. 🔥 vol. 3, issue 13 | December 6, 2024 Quick Hits All the news you need in...
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