The "Signalgate" scandal erupted in March 2025 when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat where top Trump administration officials discussed impending military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen.12 On March 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive operational details in the chat, including aircraft types, missile specifications, and precise launch times for the attacks.2 The Atlantic published a partially redacted transcript on March 24, followed by the full transcript a day later after administration officials disputed Goldberg's characterization.2

Further investigations revealed Hegseth had shared essentially the same attack plans in a second Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.3 The Pentagon's Inspector General launched a formal investigation to determine whether Hegseth and other DoD personnel complied with department policies on using commercial messaging apps for official business, as well as classification and records retention requirements.14 A federal judge ordered the administration to preserve all Signal communications from the relevant period, amid concerns that some messages had been set to automatically disappear.5 The scandal has raised serious questions about the administration's handling of classified information, with critics dubbing it "the Trump Pentagon's biggest internal scandal since the Iraq intelligence debacles of the early 2000s."6

The Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has experienced multiple waves of staff purges since early 2025. In February, Hegseth announced cuts of 5,400 civilian jobs as part of a broader federal workforce reduction, with plans to potentially shrink the 950,000-strong civilian workforce by 5-8% through hiring freezes and layoffs1. This initial purge was followed by the dismissal of several high-ranking military leaders, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr., whom Hegseth defended removing by stating "the president deserves to pick his key national security advisory team"2.

The turmoil intensified in April when three senior Pentagon officials—senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll (chief of staff to the deputy Defense secretary)—were fired in a single day, while Hegseth's chief of staff Joe Kasper was reassigned34. Pentagon officials claimed the dismissals resulted from a leak investigation targeting unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information, including military plans for the Panama Canal and Middle East operations56. The fired officials denied leaking information and claimed they "still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for"4. This upheaval has left Hegseth without key advisers, with one senior defense official describing the situation as "a complete meltdown in the building"6.

The Pentagon's former top spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned just days before publishing his scathing critique, predicted that Hegseth's tenure as Defense Secretary may be short-lived due to his leadership failures. "It's hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer," Ullyot wrote, noting that President Trump "has a strong record of holding his top officials to account."12 Despite being a former vocal supporter who once argued Hegseth was "the best man to shake things up at the Pentagon," Ullyot now describes the department as being in "disarray" under Hegseth's leadership.34

The leadership crisis stems from multiple controversies, including:

• Hegseth's mishandling of the Signalgate scandal with a "Clintonesque nondenial denial"5

• Bringing his wife to confidential meetings5

• Nearly granting Elon Musk access to sensitive China war plans despite conflicts of interest5

• Presiding over what Ullyot called a "strange and baffling purge" that left Hegseth without senior advisers16

• Creating an environment where "the building is focused no longer on warfighting, but on endless drama"2

• Spreading "flat-out, easily debunked falsehoods" about departing staff7