Speaking as a former naval aviator (515 missions during the Vietnam War), the content of the Signal texts that the Atlantic published categorically refute Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s assertion that no classified information was discussed. Here’s why the texts’ references to the attack were top secret:

Sen. Chuck Grassley said he didn't read transcripts of the text messages and "probably won't" but said they weren't classified information.

The White House continued to downplay the seriousness of the incident, parsing semantics and attacking the journalist who was inadvertently added to the chat.

Sue Gordon, former principal deputy national intelligence director, said the Trump administration needs to deal with any "persistent risk" to communications following the Signal chat leak.

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee requested an investigation Thursday into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes and a federal judge said he would order the preservation of the messages,

A Pentagon-wide advisory that went out one week ago warned against using Signal, the messaging app, even for unclassified information.

The military takes extraordinary measures to keep combat operations secret, cutting off outside communications for service members before launching an attack.

House Intel Committee witnesses reject Democrats' claims that the Signal chat’s exposure constituted a leak of classified information.

Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to say whether the Justice Department was investigating national security leaders’ use of Signal to discuss an airstrike, implying such an action may not be

If US officials feel comfortable sharing classified operations on apps like Signal, one must question what other security protocols are being ignored behind closed doors.