The Truman National Security Project condemns in the strongest possible terms the alarming security breach recently revealed by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic. What transpired represents not merely a lapse in judgment but a fundamental dereliction of duty that strikes at the heart of our national security.
The Facts Are Damning
According to meticulously documented reporting, senior Administration officials, including the Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor, conducted detailed discussions about an imminent military operation against Houthi targets in Yemen over Signal, a commercial messaging app not authorized for classified communications. These discussions included specific operational details such as targeting information, weapons packages, and attack sequencing—information that, if intercepted by adversaries, could have directly endangered American service members and compromised mission success.
Most egregious of all, these officials inadvertently included a journalist in this highly sensitive conversation. For hours, Mr. Goldberg received real-time intelligence about a pending U.S. military strike, information so precise that he was able to anticipate exactly when bombs would begin falling on targets in Yemen. That a journalist could be mistakenly added to such a crucial security discussion demonstrates a catastrophic breakdown in the most basic protocols governing sensitive military operations.
Legal Violations Are Apparent
The actions described in The Atlantic article strongly suggest multiple violations of 18 U.S. Code § 793, which governs the handling of defense information. Section (f) explicitly prohibits someone "being entrusted with or having lawful possession or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, note, or information, relating to the national defense" from permitting "through gross negligence" that information to be "removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust."
The statute provides penalties of up to ten years imprisonment for those who, through gross negligence, allow national defense information to be mishandled in this manner. The Administration's cavalier approach to operational security—discussing strike packages, timing, and targets on a commercial messaging platform—appears to fit squarely within the statute's definition of gross negligence.
Beyond Legalities: A Moral Failure
Every official involved in that Signal conversation took a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. The American people entrusted them to safeguard our nation's security and the lives of those who serve. By conducting sensitive national security business over an unauthorized platform and accidentally including an unauthorized person in those communications, these officials betrayed that trust in the most fundamental way.
The Administration's subsequent attempt to downplay this catastrophic breach as merely "an inadvertent number added to the chain" and characterize it as a "demonstration of deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials" reveals a disturbing inability to grasp the gravity of their actions. The claim that "there were no threats to troops or national security" defies logic—the very fact that sensitive operational details were shared on an unsecured platform with an unauthorized journalist constitutes, by definition, a threat to both.
Global Repercussions
This breach has implications far beyond our borders. Our allies, who depend on America's ability to protect shared intelligence, must now question whether the United States can be trusted with sensitive information. Our adversaries, meanwhile, have received a clear signal of operational carelessness at the highest levels of U.S. leadership. If the administration handles its own secrets with such negligence, what message does that send to those who wish us harm?
Accountability Is Non-Negotiable
This lack of judgment is not merely irresponsible—it is disqualifying. The Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor should immediately resign. Furthermore, Congress and the Department of Justice must launch thorough investigations into this matter to determine the full extent of the security breach and ensure appropriate accountability measure are taken.
The American people deserve national security leaders who demonstrate unwavering respect for the law, operational excellence, and profound reverence for the sacrifices made by those who risk their lives to protect our nation. The individuals involved in this security breach have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with the awesome responsibility of keeping Americans safe. Their continued service in positions of such critical importance represents an ongoing threat to our national security.
U.S. national security is only as strong as the people we entrust to secure it. These officials have failed that test in the most public and dangerous way possible. Now they must be held accountable.
The Truman National Security Project is a nationwide community of diverse national security leaders working to develop strong, smart, and principled solutions to the most pressing national security challenges facing our nation.
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Truman National Security Project
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