NYT: Signal Chat Leak Angers U.S. Military Pilots

[Dennis Donovan]

NYT - (archived: https://archive.ph/E17RB ) Signal Chat Leak Angers U.S. Military Pilots

Men and women who have taken to the air on behalf of the United States expressed bewilderment after the leak of attack plans. “You’re going to kill somebody,” one pilot said.

By Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt
Reporting from Washington
March 27, 2025, 1:13 p.m. ET

The intelligence breach was bad enough, current and former fighter pilots said. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s refusal to acknowledge that he should not have disclosed sensitive information about when American fighter pilots would attack sites in Yemen, they said, was even worse.

On air bases, in aircraft carrier “ready rooms” and in communities near military bases this week, the news that senior officials in the Trump administration discussed plans for an impending attack on Signal, a commercial messaging app, angered and bewildered men and women who have taken to the air on behalf of the United States.

The mistaken inclusion of the editor in chief of The Atlantic in the chat and Mr. Hegseth’s insistence that he did nothing wrong by disclosing the secret plans upend decades of military doctrine about operational security, a dozen Air Force and Navy fighter pilots said.

Worse, they said, is that going forward, they can no longer be certain that the Pentagon is focused on their safety when they strap into cockpits.

“The whole point about aviation safety is that you have to have the humility to understand that you are imperfect, because everybody screws up. Everybody makes mistakes,” said Lt. John Gadzinski, a former Navy F-14 pilot who flew combat missions from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. “But ultimately, if you can’t admit when you’re wrong, you’re going to kill somebody because your ego is too big.”

/snip

[Attilatheblond]

1. They have good cause to be worried & furious. Game Show Host CIC & drunk TV announcer Sec Def

It's gonna be tough on recruiters who work above the 'desperate for a place to live' 18 year olds crowd. The smart people who can do college and more won't be beating a path to sign up.

[erronis]

8. But if you were a foreign adversary, isn't this just the outcome you would want?

[calimary]

11. Yes indeed you would. Exactly and precisely.

I bet our adversaries are just tickled to death by these recent - um - “developments”. It’s already made their day.

[Prairie Gates]

13. Especially when the recruiting line features street fighting with partisan insurgents in...Toronto

Two-two's, croski, Private Joker's is a miskeen lowkey.

[BattleRow]

21. Countdown to reinstatement of draft...

[Attilatheblond]

23. Kids who survive harvesting produce and/or meat packing accidents will have to go somewhere

[BattleRow]

25. But isn't that already addressed by DEI?

And immigration deportations?

[SheltieLover]

2. Oh, I'll bet ghey are furious!

[mopinko]

3. not the way to get 'my generals' to suck up to u.

go ahead and do more of this. that way, when u give an illegal order, there’s something on the other side of the scales.

[BoRaGard]

4. Free clue for our US Pilots...

The Commander-in-Chief (R) is a five-time draft dodger who thinks our American
soldiers and veterans (and probably pilots, too) are "suckers and losers."

That is an abomination.

A G.O.P-abomination before all that is Holy.

[Think. Again.]

5. Do our military people have ANY recourse...

...to demand their superiors perform their jobs responsibly in order to protect their safety and lives?

[erronis]

9. Sure. Report your superior up the line.

Article 138 for the US Army: https://home.army.mil/wood/application/files/6016/1713/8001/The_Article_138_Process.pdf

Since the rot is being done from the top down, I would not give good odds for this reporting to succeed.

[Think. Again.]

24. Still, it should be done...

...although I understand the risk of severe retaliation.

[Walleye]

6. Once again, neck deep in the big muddy, and the big fool says push on

[EarnestPutz]

7. The pilots say they "cannot be certain that the Pentagon is focused on their safety". Why does....

…..this make me think of WWII military planners sending the black troops into the worst situations.

[erronis]

10. First, kill all warfighters.

[EarnestPutz]

17. "Warfighters"! One of my least favorite terms. My Dad and his generation of WWII vets.....

......never called themselves that, let alone "the tip of the spear". I'd say it's offensive to American values

[erronis]

19. Sorry. I do know it's a recently manufactured term but didn't know it had such negative connotations.

I guess "peace keepers" might be better?

[EarnestPutz]

28. Sorry, I meant no criticism of you or your use of the term. America used to take going to war....

……seriously and we just don’t do that anymore. I blame our euphemistic “military actions” in Korea and Vietnam, both done without formal declarations of war. Noe, half a dozen yahoos can play war games on their cell phones and blow up civilians in Yeman, and then do digital high fives.

[erronis]

36. Understand where you are coming from - and I totally agree. Thanks!

[Irish_Dem]

27. I don't find it offensive.

I'm a US military kid whose dad flew combat in US three wars.
My mother was USAF, my brothers were Army, my uncle US Navy killed at Battle of Guadalcanal.

They were fighting in wars. War fighter does not upset or offend me in the least.

[EarnestPutz]

29. My point was my dad, uncles, neighbors and friends, all veterans of WWII, never used that term. It's part.....

……of the hyper-masculinization of military service that has come about since the elimination of the draft created manpower shortages in the branches.

[RussellCattle]

31. Exactly right about the military selling masculinity. They also sell the cool factor with their television....

……ads with rock music playing during “night operation on a carrier in the Arabian Gulf” or searching for a cool name for an armored vehicle and coming up “Stryker”, based some serviceman’s name.

[John Farmer]

34. So we're calling it the Arabian Gulf now to avoid offending Crown Prince bone saw?

[Prairie Gates]

12. It's only the result of somebody else's calculations that F-18s weren't shot down

The Russians and/or Iranians and/or Chinese thought it would be better to stay live on the channel than to save some lowly Houthi missile guy. That's it.

The Russians NO DOUBT had two hour notice on these F-18s incoming. They almost certainly shopped that to the Iranians within minutes. Had the Houthis shot down and captured these pilots, the only discussion would be whether they would behead them on video or burn them alive in cages. The depth of irresponsibility from everyone on the Houthi PC Small Group channel is hard to overestimate.

[erronis]

14. Damn. Keep clicking on that "Rec" button at the bottom but can't seem to give your enough Recs.

Well stated, unfortunately.

[AntiFascist]

15. Steve Witkoff was in Moscow for a meeting with Putin while he was on the text chain...

if this had been intercepted by Putin, Putin could have warned Russia's ally Iran, which in turn could have had the Houthi's set up a counterattack of the fighter jets.

Fighter pilots should be pissed off at this incompetence.

[erronis]

20. If? I imagine that Wikoff was holding up his phone to Putin and they were both chortling.

Not that even this would be necessary.

The FSB and every other country has wormed their way into the phones.

Signal E2E encryption means nothing when the actual keystrokes and screen capture are recorded.

[littlemissmartypants]

16. I'd be concerned...

If they weren't angry.

BTW, the photo with the article...
Outstanding!
❤️

[EarnestPutz]

18. I like to think that these guys on the carrier flight deck can hear...

......pulsing rock music on those headphones, just like they have on the recruitment ads on teevee.

[littlemissmartypants]

26. I'm pretty sure those things are to save what hearing they have...

So they can drink beer and listen to music when they get liberty.

[RussellCattle]

32. Well, there's that for sure. I've always watched the TV enlistment ads and wondered if the guys who....

…..signed up wonder why there is no sound track during their four year committment.

[Aristus]

22. I wonder how many of them voted for Trump.

Vote for "own the libs!", get operational security breaches.

Safe flying, fellas...

[LetMyPeopleVote]

30. U.S. military pilots are furious--lives were put at risk

Link to tweet

[flashman13]

33. There are two very lucky things here. No pilots were lost and Hogsbreath and Co.

were stupid enough to add Goldberg to their text chain.

The fact that no aircraft or pilots were lost is probably more luck than anything else.

The fact that Goldberg was in on it and was able to reveal the entire fiasco is a real blessing. Otherwise, I have no doubt that these morons would have continued to broadcast sensitive information to damn near anyone that wanted to listen in. Eventually members of the military or intelligence services would be killed. I hope the CIA asset they compromised has been able to get away with their life.

Lastly, it may prove to be a good thing that the military now has serious doubts about the competence and seriousness of Trump and his circus clowns.

[electric_blue68]

35. Not good that it happened, but good that some pilots etc are confused, and dismayed...

as you said....sewing doubts about drumphf & Co!