Launch a military strike, invite the media: What’s going on with US security?
by Katie McShane
On March 15th the US began a military initiative against Houthi rebels. These rebels are a group based in Yemen, who since the beginning of the Israeli-Hamas war in 2022 have begun hijacking and attacking commercial ships in and around the Red Sea. [1] Airstrikes such as this against the Iran-backed rebels are, to the US, matters of national security and are kept top secret. Except it wasn’t, in fact in the group chats creation, journalist Jeffery Goldberg was included amongst officials. The response comes twofold; the first article omitted sensitive information focusing instead on the foreign policy debates. These are the messages that expose uncertainty and disagreement on Trumps decisions even from his closest advisors. The second leak exposes potential classified information being shared sparking a much more serious conversation on the legality and competency of the messages.
Editor-in-Chief to The Atlantic, Jeffery Goldberg didn’t believe the group chat was real until the news broke. The US had launched two airstrikes on Houthi rebels, and he was in possession of the timings, locations, and weaponry used just two hours before it occurred, as seen in a second news article exposing the uncensored text thread. In a “Team Update” half an hour before US fighter jets left, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth drops weather conditions (“favourable”), first and second launch times (12:15 and 14:10 Eastern Time), and the times that the first bombs will “definitely drop” (14:15 ET).
My question is, how did the director of the CIA and defence secretary (among other US officials in the group) not notice an ‘imposter’ was amongst them? The leak is a worrying development in the debate surrounding the competency of Trump’s office but also leads to concerns over how tight US security really is. What’s worse is the group was set to delete messages after a week, potentially violating the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act by not submitting the discussions to the US National Archives. [2] Operating on a platform that is susceptible to hacking as Signal (the app used) is but what the National Security Advisor did is beyond comprehension – invited a top journalist to a group chat created to discuss military attack plans.
These revelations are coming at a time where Irish students considering a j1 visa to America are being cautioned they may be screened upon application. According to the Union of Students, there is a risk of deportation if a student becomes involved in protests or demonstrations whilst staying in the US. What’s more is that the US administration said it would begin screening social media accounts of anyone applying for a visa{3}, (Am I ruining my J1 summer dreams here? Only time will tell…). But am I wrong for suggesting that maybe the call is coming from inside the house? Surely high up officials leaking war plans is a bigger security risk than dissident students and harmless demonstrations.
What does this mean for Trump’s administration? Well, it exposes cracks that should not exist, both in National Security but also in domestic leadership. Signal is described as having an open-sourced encryption protocol, the same as everyday app WhatsApp. It isn’t approved for classified discussions by any agency. The Government is claiming these discussions weren’t classified information but, as Goldberg himself points out, in the case of it leaking to the rebels (as we have seen was highly possible) would have been disastrous from a military standpoint.[4] The rebels having anti-aircraft weaponry would have 30 minutes to be prepared and waiting. At the end of his message sharing the operation plans Hegseth states “we are currently clean on OPSEC” meaning operational security. His reassurance is laughable, if operational security is breached on even this basic level what cracks exist further along the line? A question of competency and compatibility amongst leadership is asked.
Trump’s government, Republicans, and Democrats along with the public have come out with statements in relation to the leaks from varying points of opinion. Though one point is abundantly clear no matter how it is spun. This should not have happened. The following weeks and months will hopefully make this clearer for us as investigations and trials are set to ensue.
Photo is from the Atlantic
1 – BBC News. “Who Are the Houthis and Why Is the US Targeting Them?,” March 25, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67614911.
2- The Irish Times, “Irish J1 visa students urged to be informed of potential risks of ‘activism’ in US”, April 15th 2025. Irish J1 visa students urged to be informed of potential risks of ‘activism’ in US – The Irish Times
3- Smith-Schoenwalder, Cecelia. “A Signal Chat With Top U.S. Officials Leaked This Week: Here’s Why It Matters.” US News & World Report, March 25, 2025. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2025-03-25/what-to-know-about-the-leaked-signal-chat-with-top-u-s-security-officials.
4- Hill, Bernd Debusmann Jr at the White House & Brandon Drenon on Capitol. “Trump and Intelligence Chiefs Play Down Signal Group Chat Leak,” March 26, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8vgr0p8n6o.
5 – The Atlantic articles:
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans – The Atlantic
Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal – The Atlantic
