'Team Huddle': US defence secretary Pete Hegseth sent Yemen war plans to family via 2nd Signal chat - 10 things to know

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has once again found himself in the eye of a political storm following revelations that he shared sensitive military details about a March airstrike on Yemen’s Houthi militants in a private Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.

The group, dubbed "Defense | Team Huddle," comprised 13 individuals, including Hegseth's wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, and his brother Phil, a Department of Homeland Security liaison at the Pentagon, New York Times reported. The chat reportedly contained specific information such as warplane launch times and strike packages, raising serious concerns about the handling of classified materials.


This disclosure follows an earlier incident where Hegseth shared similar sensitive information in another Signal chat that included top Trump administration officials and, mistakenly, a journalist. The Atlantic published the contents of that chat, revealing detailed operational plans for the Yemen strike, which experts assert would typically be classified at the highest levels. Hegseth had denied any wrongdoing, saying, "Nobody was texting war plans," and attributing the reports to media bias.

10 things to know about Hegseth's Signal chat leaks:

• The chat group, named "Defense | Team Huddle," included 13 participants: Hegseth, his wife Jennifer, his brother Phil, and his personal lawyer.
• Sensitive information shared in the chat included warplane launch times and strike packages related to the March airstrike on Yemen's Houthi militants.
• The chat was conducted on Hegseth's personal device, not a government-issued one, raising further security concerns.
• The earlier incident prompted internal upheaval within the Pentagon, with several top officials resigning or being placed on leave amid the ongoing probe.
• The use of Signal for discussing sensitive military operations contravenes Pentagon regulations, which prohibit the transmission of non-public Department of Defense information via unauthorized apps.
• The earlier Signal chat that which was revealed by the Atlantic's Jeffery Goldberg, was titled "Houthi PC small group," included top officials like Vice President JD Vance.
• The leaks included military plans involving the Panama Canal, Red Sea deployments, and suspended intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
• Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to the encrypted Signal chat, giving him direct access to classified discussions.
• Dan Caldwell was removed from the Pentagon after being suspended over leaks of sensitive defence information.
• Darin Selnick, another senior Trump official, was also placed on administrative leave and escorted out.

What Trump, White House had said earlier
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had described the Signal messaging thread as “a policy discussion, a sensitive policy discussion among high level cabinet officials and senior staff.” Defending the Secretary of Defense, she asked, “Do you trust the secretary of defense who was nominated for this role, voted by the United States Senate into this role, who has served in combat, honourably served our nation in uniform or do you trust Jeffrey Goldberg?”

When questioned about the thread, Trump distanced himself, saying he’s “not sure” whether the information shared was classified: “Well, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t know. I’m not sure, you have to ask the various people involved.” Trump added that Waltz had taken responsibility for the error, but dismissed Hegseth’s involvement: “How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do with it.”

The White House stated Trump had seen Hegseth’s texts. “It’s all a witch-hunt,” Trump said. While the National Security Council confirmed the thread’s authenticity, Leavitt posted: “The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans.’”