ALBAWABA - U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth is under more and more pressure because of a security report and strikes that have caused a lot of debate.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing more and more political pressure after an independent Pentagon watchdog report said he shouldn't have used the Signal messaging app to talk about sensitive military plans. This comes at the same time as controversy over recent U.S. strikes on boats thought to be carrying drugs.
The oversight report said that Hegseth's participation in a Signal chat, where information about the timing of strikes, the use of aircraft and missiles, and other operational details were shared, may have put U.S. forces at risk. It also said that sending sensitive military information over a personal cell phone could put people in danger and make mission security less secure.
The Pentagon later said that the Signal investigation was over and that Hegseth was not directly involved in any wrongdoing. However, worries are still growing in Washington, especially among Democrats, because the U.S. has been targeting suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September. One of the strikes killed two people who had survived a previous attack, which led to a debate about legality and oversight.
There are still a lot of different opinions in Congress. Democratic congressman Jim Himes said the news was "deeply troubling," but Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the operations were "legitimate and necessary." Even though there has been a lot of criticism, Hegseth still has President Donald Trump's trust, which makes it less likely that he will be fired right away.
The United Nations was worried about possible "extrajudicial killings" connected to the maritime strike campaign and asked the United States to stop these kinds of operations. The White House and the Pentagon said that operational command, not Hegseth himself, made the decision to launch the second strike.
Hegseth, a former major in the National Guard and Fox News commentator, has been in the news a lot since he barely got Senate approval for his job early last year. One year later, the Defense Chief is once again at the center of political controversy because of ongoing disagreements over how he makes military decisions.
