'No names…targets mentioned': Pentagon chief insists war plan not leaked
What's the story
United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has publicly criticized The Atlantic and its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg after it published a transcript of messages that senior US officials had inadvertently shared in a Signal chat group.
In a combative post on X, Hegseth dismissed the authenticity of such "war plans," saying they contained no names, targets, locations, units, routes, sources, or methods.
He also said that Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an "attack plan," not even close.
Twitter Post
Read his rejoinder here
So, let’s me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called “war plans” and those “plans” include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 26, 2025
Those are some really shitty war plans.
This only proves…
Official response
Pentagon chief labels leaked war plans as "sh "
In the Signal group, where Goldberg was erroneously added, Hegseth relayed details about airstrikes in Yemen earlier this month, including the specific timeline of the airstrikes and what types of weapons would be used.
"If this text had been received by someone hostile to American interests ...consequences for American pilots could have been catastrophic," Goldberg wrote.
The magazine had initially decided to withhold such details but later released them after a White House statement asserting no classified information was involved.
Presidential support
Trump dismisses leak scandal as a "witch hunt"
US President Donald Trump has called the controversy over leaked plans for Yemen air strikes a "witch hunt."
He defended Hegseth as Democrats called for him to resign.
"Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this," Trump said, even as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly took responsibility for the error that triggered this scandal.
Vice presidential backing
US Vice President supports Hegseth amid leak scandal
US Vice President JD Vance also backed Hegseth, saying The Atlantic had "overplayed" the situation.
Only Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged a "big mistake," while minimizing his own limited role in the matter.
Hegseth, who is currently on a tour of the INDOPACOM zone meeting with US military leaders, stated that his primary concern is national security, not media speculation.
"We will continue to do our job while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes," he said.
Script
Atlantic publishes additional text messages
Meanwhile, The Atlantic on Wednesday published additional text messages from the Signal group chat showing that Hegseth had indeed detailed US military attack plans.
The messages refute Hegseth's and other Trump administration officials' assertion that the channel did not discuss military planning.
In the article published by Goldberg and Shane Harris, Hegseth shares operational details regarding the strikes at 11:44am ET.
"Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch," Hegseth wrote.