A damning report from the Pentagon's internal watchdog has concluded that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated department policies and potentially endangered American troops by sharing secret details of a planned airstrike in Yemen on a commercial messaging app.

The findings, detailed in a report sent to the US Congress, confirm that Hegseth used the Signal app for official business on his personal device, transmitting sensitive information about the March operation against Houthi fighters. This breach raises critical questions about the judgment and security discipline at the highest levels of the United States government, a vital security partner for Kenya.

A Breach of Protocol

The investigation by the Department of Defense's Inspector General found the information Hegseth shared was classified as 'Secret'. Its disclosure on an unapproved, unencrypted channel could have allowed foreign adversaries to intercept the plans, directly threatening the lives of US military personnel and the mission's success. The Signal chat group notably included other high-ranking officials and, inadvertently, a journalist from The Atlantic magazine who first exposed the breach.

For Kenya, which partners closely with the US on counterterrorism and regional stability, such a high-level security lapse is cause for concern. The partnership relies heavily on shared intelligence and mutual trust in security protocols. A failure of this magnitude could undermine the confidence essential for joint operations against threats like al-Shabaab.

A Defiant Response

Secretary Hegseth has pushed back against the findings. According to sources familiar with the report, he refused to be interviewed by the inspector general, providing only a written statement. In it, he asserted his authority to declassify information and dismissed the investigation as partisan. However, the report noted it was unclear if he had actually declassified the material before sharing it.

Despite Hegseth's defense, Democratic lawmakers have called for his resignation, citing a pattern of recklessness. The report also confirmed the existence of several other Signal chats used by the Secretary for official business, suggesting the Yemen incident was not an isolated lapse in judgment.

An unclassified version of the full report is expected to be released to the public later this week, which will likely intensify the political fallout for the embattled Defense Secretary.