The White House is reportedly looking for a new Defence Secretary to replace Pete Hegseth after it was revealed that he leaked classified military information through private chats on the Signal app. The controversy stems from an April 20 report by the New York Times, which claims Hegseth shared real-time details of U.S. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen with a private group. The group included his wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer; his brother, Phil, a senior Pentagon adviser; and Navy attorney Timothy Parlatore. A senior U.S. official said Hegseth used his personal phone to send the updates, which could have endangered the mission and the lives of American pilots.

This wasn’t the first time something like this happened. Back in March, Hegseth reportedly shared sensitive details in another Signal group chat that included high-level government officials. That chat mistakenly included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, a publication known for being critical of Donald Trump. The incident, quickly nicknamed "Signalgate" by the U.S. media, triggered outrage from both political parties and raised serious concerns about national security.

Officials warned that if hostile groups had gotten the information, it could have put ongoing missions at risk. Given that the Houthis have already shot down two U.S. predator drones, the situation only adds to fears over compromised operations.

As the Department of Defence goes through what officials have called a “full-blown meltdown,” more major dismissals are expected to occur. At the same time, just a day after the New York Times published its report, Hegseth addressed the situation during a White House Easter event and dismissed claims of a second 'Signalgate'. He said, "This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people, ruining their reputations. It's not going to work with me."

Last week, the Pentagon fired three top advisers, Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick, over allegations of leaking information. After being let go, the trio released a joint statement on X, describing their removal as "unconscionable" and saying they weren’t given an apparent reason.