The messy intersection of high-stakes military operations and Silicon Valley encryption just got a whole lot weirder. Honestly, you've probably seen the headlines about the "Signalgate" scandal involving the Trump administration, but the latest release from The Atlantic changes the temperature of the entire room. We aren't just talking about a few leaked screenshots anymore.
By now, the story is almost legendary in its absurdity. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz meant to add a staffer to a high-level coordination chat. Instead, he accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. For days, one of the most prominent journalists in America sat silently in a group chat titled "Houthi PC small group" while the leaders of the free world discussed blowing things up in Yemen.
Recently, The Atlantic published more text from the Signal chat after the White House tried to claim that no "war plans" or classified details were ever shared. The new transcripts are, to put it mildly, pretty jaw-dropping.
The Detailed Attack Plans Nobody Was Supposed to See
When the story first broke, the administration's defense was basically: "It was just a coordination chat. No big deal." But the fuller text logs published on March 26, 2025, and subsequent follow-ups tell a different story.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn't just talking about policy. He was dropping timestamps. We now know he posted specific launch windows for F-18s and MQ-9 Reaper drones. He even included the exact time when the first bombs were expected to hit their targets.
One message from Hegseth read: "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP)."
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If a hostile actor had been in that chat instead of a magazine editor, the Houthi rebels would have had a two-hour head start to move their "Target Terrorist" or prepare anti-aircraft defenses. It’s the kind of operational detail that normally stays behind three layers of steel doors at the Pentagon.
Why the "War Plans" Debate is Kinda Ridiculous
The White House, led by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has been hammering on the phrase "war plans." They’ve called the report a "hoax" because, in their view, a few texts about a single strike don't constitute a full-scale "war plan."
Technically? Sure. A formal war plan is a massive document detailing logistics, industrial capacity, and multi-year strategies.
But in the real world? If you're a pilot flying an F-18, the "attack plan" is the plan that matters. Knowing exactly when you’re launching and where you're going is the most sensitive information you have. Calling it a "hoax" because it isn't a 500-page binder feels like a classic case of Washington semantics.
Who was actually in the room (digitally)?
The chat wasn't just a couple of guys. It was a who's who of the 2025 executive branch:
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- Vice President JD Vance, who mostly used the chat to complain about European allies.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio, coordinating the diplomatic fallout.
- DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who later had to explain to the Senate why they were using a commercial app for this.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
The weirdest part? The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Christopher Grady, was reportedly left out. The administration wanted a "small group," but they ended up including a journalist while excluding the nation’s top military officer.
The JD Vance "I Hate Bailing Out Europe" Factor
Beyond the bombs and drones, the leaked texts give us a raw look at how this administration views its allies. While discussing the Red Sea shipping lanes—which are vital for European trade—JD Vance’s account was remarkably blunt.
"I just hate bailing Europe out again," he reportedly texted.
It’s one thing to say that on a campaign trail. It’s another thing to say it in a "principals committee" chat while deciding whether to launch missiles. It shows a level of internal friction and isolationist sentiment that usually gets polished away by the State Department's PR team.
The Legal Nightmare: Records and Encryption
Federal law is pretty clear: you have to save government communications. The Federal Records Act isn't a suggestion.
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Mike Waltz apparently set the Signal chat to "disappearing messages" mode. Some were set to vanish after a week, others after four weeks. This is a massive legal headache. By the time investigators get their hands on the phones, the primary evidence might be gone—unless The Atlantic’s screenshots are the only remaining record.
There’s also the "Signal is secure" argument. Is it? Yes, for your average person. But the Pentagon actually issued a memo on March 14 (the day before the strikes) warning that Russia was actively trying to hack Signal. Using it for "unclassified accountability" is fine. Using it to time F-18 launches while foreign intelligence services are knocking on the door is, as Jeffrey Goldberg put it, "shockingly reckless."
What Happens Next?
The fallout from The Atlantic published more text from the Signal chat isn't over. Not by a long shot.
- Congressional Inquiries: Rep. Gregory Meeks and the House Foreign Affairs Committee are pushing a "Resolution of Inquiry." They want every single note, chart, and phone record related to this chat.
- Security Overhauls: Expect a massive crackdown on "Shadow IT" in the White House. The era of Cabinet members using their personal iPhones for war room discussions is likely over—at least officially.
- The "Target Terrorist" Fallout: We still don't know the exact identity of the "Target Terrorist" mentioned in the logs. If that individual escaped because of the delay in the strike or the potential for a leak, it’s a massive intelligence failure.
The biggest takeaway is that technology has moved faster than government policy. We have leaders who want the speed of an instant messenger but are dealing with the protocols of the 1950s.
If you’re following this, keep an eye on the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings. The transcripts are being picked apart line-by-line to see if Tulsi Gabbard or John Ratcliffe misled Congress about the "classified" nature of the texts.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should look into the specific military protocols for "Tactical Data Links" versus "Commercial Encrypted Apps." Understanding the difference explains why the Pentagon is so terrified of what Hegseth did. You can also monitor the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s calendar for the upcoming vote on the Signal records resolution to see if the administration is forced to hand over the unredacted logs.