Pentagon suffers ‘full-blown meltdown’ as new Signal chat leaked

The pressure on U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is intensifying after a second Signal group chat containing sensitive military information was leaked.

John Ullyot, former Pentagon spokesperson who resigned last week, penned an opinion piece in Politico on Sunday, describing the current climate at the Department of Defense as unstable and chaotic. He noted that many officials have been cycled through key positions in just a matter of months.

Ullyot described the situation as a “full-blown meltdown,” suggesting that Hegseth could be on the brink of losing his job amid the ongoing controversy.

“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote.

Last month, The New York Times reported that a U.S. military strike against the Houthis in Yemen had been discussed in a Signal chat, in which a U.S. media editor had been mistakenly added. That leak was the first in a series of concerning breaches.

Despite the mounting scandals, Donald Trump has continued to defend Hegseth. Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “Pete’s doing a great job. Just ask the Houthis how he’s doing. It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. It sounds like disgruntled employees. He was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people and that’s what he’s doing. You don’t always have friends when you do that.”

(QG - Source: The Guardian - Picture : © Unsplash)