The app facilitated communications in a building where cell service is poor and personal phones are not allowed in some areas.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the commercial messaging app Signal set up on a computer in his office at the Pentagon so that he could send and receive instant messages in a space where personal cellphones are not permitted, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
Mr. Hegseth’s move facilitated easier communications in a building where cell service is poor and personal phones are not allowed in certain areas. It was first reported by the Washington Post.
The defense secretary has two computers in his office, one for personal use and one that is government-issued, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Mr. Hegseth had cables installed in early March so that he could connect a private computer to Signal, according to a second person with knowledge of the matter.
His confidential assistant and Col. Ricky Buria, his junior military aide, had the same Signal capability, the person said.
The latest revelation came after The New York Times reported that Mr. Hegseth had shared highly sensitive and detailed attack plans in a Signal chat group that included his wife, his brother and his personal lawyer hours before a mission was launched against Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15.
