Inside the Pentagon IG's Findings on Signalgate

"The [Defense] Secretary [Pete Hegseth] sent nonpublic DoD information [on March 15 at 11:44 EDT] identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile [Houthi] territory [in Yemen] over an unapproved, unsecure network [] approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those [U.S. aircraft] strikes. Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives."

"We [Office of the DoD IG] concluded that the [Defense] Secretary [Hegseth] sent sensitive nonpublic, DoD operational information that he determined did not require classification over on his personal cell phone. Although EO 13526 [Executive Order on Classified National Security Information] grants the [Defense] Secretary the authority to determine the proper level of classification of DoD information, we concluded that the Secretary's actions did not comply with DoDI 8170.01 [DoD Policy for social media accounts] which prohibits using a personal device for official business."

The Defense Department Inspector General found that the Secretary transmitted nonpublic DoD operational details over an unapproved, unsecured network using a personal cell phone, identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over Houthi-held territory approximately two to four hours before strikes. Using a personal cell phone for official business and sending nonpublic information through such channels risked compromise of sensitive DoD information and could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives. The Inspector General concluded the Secretary sent sensitive, nonpublic operational information he deemed unclassified but did not comply with DoDI 8170.01. The Secretary publicly stated no classified information was sent and asserted exoneration.

Read at The Cipher Brief