• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the Signal app on an unsecured internet connection in his Pentagon office.
• Hegseth shared sensitive military information with personal contacts, including his wife and brother.
• The Pentagon is investigating security breaches and the internal conduct of its officials.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an unsecured internet connection installed in his Pentagon office to use the Signal messaging app, raising serious security concerns. The so-called "dirty line" bypasses standard Defense Department security protocols, which has sparked an investigation into the potential risk to sensitive information, according to HuffPost and ABC News.

Hegseth's use of Signal included sharing sensitive details about airstrikes in Yemen within a chat that featured not only military aides but also personal contacts such as family members. This incident extended to a second chat group, which included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who was inadvertently added, increasing criticism of Hegseth’s oversight, as reported by India Times and The New York Times.

In an interview, Hegseth defended his actions, asserting that no classified information was shared, framing the discussions as "informal, unclassified coordinations,” although the nature of the shared content suggests otherwise, according to CBS News and Forbes.

The controversy surrounding Hegseth has led to multiple leadership changes within the Pentagon, including the departure of his chief of staff, Joe Kasper, amid a broader investigation into internal leaks and mismanagement, as reported by Newsweek and India Times.

This situation highlights ongoing tensions within the Trump administration regarding the handling of information security and the use of personal communication tools in sensitive environments. Despite the scrutiny, President Trump and member officials have expressed steadfast support for Hegseth, framing the media attention as politically motivated, according to Forbes and Newsweek.