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The investigation found that Peter Hegseth installed a “unique” system that allowed access to his personal mobile phone from within his secure office.
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It’s unclear whether the defense secretary’s appointment violates Pentagon policy.
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The findings are part of the inspector general’s report into Hegseth’s use of Signal to share strike information.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had his aides install a “unique” system in the Pentagon’s security office that allowed him to access and control his personal cell phone from within, a new watchdog report says.
The findings are part of Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins’ investigation into Hegseth’s use of the Signal app to share sensitive information about U.S. airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this year. The investigation concluded that the Secretary risked the safety of U.S. military personnel.
One section of the report released Thursday states that Hegseth’s junior military aide, at the request of the secretary of defense, “requested and oversaw the installation of a unique feature by which the secretary of defense could access and control his personal cell phone from within his secure office.”
The tether system was installed in late February 2025, and photos of the prototype design were edited in the report.
The system mirrors and accesses the contents of a personal phone and connects a keyboard, mouse and monitor via cables to a phone located outside the office.
Within the Pentagon, especially for senior officials, it’s not uncommon to have lockers or boxes for staff and visitors to store cell phones and other devices.
Department of Defense policy prohibits bringing personal and government mobile devices, such as cell phones, into Pentagon secure spaces such as Hegers’ office. The inspector general’s report concluded that it could not be determined whether the unique system installed for the secretary met requirements because it was quietly removed in late April 2025.
Hegseth confirmed in a July statement to the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General that he requested the installation of the system.
“Indeed, upon accepting the job, I asked my communications team if I could use my personal mobile phone in my office,” he said. The purpose, he explained, was to “make it easier to receive unofficial communications during the workday.”
“The communications team,” the secretary said, “prepared a compliant solution that would allow me access while maintaining appropriate security.”
The investigation said the Defense Secretary’s Communications Group stated that the installed solution complied with Department of Defense information security requirements because it did not actually violate regulations prohibiting the use of mobile phones in secure spaces.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment on the findings.
Stebbins began an investigation into Hegseth’s use of signals to conduct attacks in Yemen after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to a group chat in which Hegseth shared sensitive information, classified details in secret/unpublished emails, information about the timing of the attacks and the assets used to carry out the attacks.
The inspector general concluded that Hegseth’s use of the messaging app put U.S. forces at risk because the information could endanger U.S. military personnel if intercepted by U.S. adversaries.
While the secretary of state said in an earlier statement to his office that “no details jeopardized our forces or our mission,” the investigation concluded that “the secretary’s actions posed a risk to operational security and could have resulted in the failure of U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. airmen.”
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