WASHINGTON — An inspector general’s investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military operations in Yemen with national security officials will likely be released soon, according to U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. 

Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Mississippi Today in an interview that the inspector general’s report is complete. 

“I understand the report is complete, it’s under review and we should get it soon,” Wicker said.

The report looking into Hegseth’s messages and participation in the chat follows a joint letter from Wicker and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, asking the Pentagon’s watchdog to investigate the Signal conversation.

Former national security adviser Mike Waltz set up the message in March to coordinate the Trump administration’s plans for strikes against the Houthis and accidentally invited Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to the chat. 

Signal is a free messaging app that allows users to communicate with strong end-to-end encryption to make conversations more secure. But security experts have warned that electronic devices using Signal could still be hacked by foreign adversaries. 

The chat between the Cabinet and national security officials described launch times of U.S. fighter jets, enemy targets, and munitions that would typically be classified as secret. 

The Department of Defense declined to comment for this story, but Hegseth has repeatedly said that he did not share classified information in the chat.