U.S. Intelligence Allies Reacts To Leaked Strike Signal Chat

The leak over top US officials sharing military operation details inside a messaging app resonates inside Washington, the leaders of two key foreign intelligence allies said lessons need to be learned.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was “a serious, serious issue and all lessons must be taken” while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the situation “obviously isn’t desirable.”

On Monday, the Atlantic reported members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet sent potentially classified operational plans and information about US strikes in Yemen to a group chat on the nongovernment encrypted chat app Signal. The Trump administration acknowledged the messages appear to be authentic but did not explain why senior officials were discussing national defense information outside of approved classified government systems.

The news quickly sent shockwaves through Washington, where officials and intelligence experts reacted with dismay and disbelief.

“They broke every procedure known to man about protecting operational material before a military strike,” one former senior intelligence official told CNN. “You have a total breakdown in security about a military operation.”

While the apparent breach has almost surely ruffled feathers behind closed doors, US allies have largely remained tight-lipped on the topic, offering carefully worded statements, though some have gone a step further.

The US is a key member of the Five Eyes alongside Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is a grouping of historically close nations that share a broad range of intelligence in one of the world’s tightest multilateral arrangements.

Speaking to reporters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ahead of the country’s April 28 election, Carney said the likely leak of sensitive military plans by senior US officials means Canadians must “look out for ourselves.”

“We have a very strong intelligence partnership with the Americans through Five Eyes,” Carney said.

“Mistakes do happen, but what’s important is how people react to those mistakes and how they tighten them up,” Carney said.

“My responsibility is to plan for the worst, is to think about the most difficult evolution of the new threat environment, what it means for Canada and how do we best protect Canada,” Carney said. “Part of that response is to be more and more Canadian in our defense capabilities, more and more Canadian in our decisions, to take greater ownership.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Signal situation “obviously isn’t desirable.”

“Mistakes happen from time to time the important thing is when something like that happens that you identify how it happened and put in place measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he told Australia’s ABC. “The US takes security seriously and I’m sure they will respond appropriately.”

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma