The messages, intended for high-level officials, detailed upcoming strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and were sent through a group chat on the Signal app.
In a message that began "TEAM UPDATE," Hegseth detailed the targets, weapons, and attack sequencing associated with the March 15 attack against Yemen.
The revelation has been criticized as a grave breach of national security protocols, with social media platforms inundated with demands for accountability.
You are grossly incompetent," one user wrote of Hegseth.
"A lot of people in that little chat leak need to resign in shame and be replaced by adults with experience," another said.
Others called Hegseth a "disgrace," with one post noting, "If this doesn't get you fired, nothing does.".
President Donald Trump dismissed the report, claiming to have just heard about it "for the first time," when questioned by reporters—a tactic the president has used previously. »