Leaked chat: US allies on alert

The group chat between senior US officials regarding a planned attack in Yemen, in which a journalist was accidentally included, was judged by US allies to be a serious security breach. The incident raised serious concerns about the sharing of intelligence information with Washington and the security of joint military operations.

The conversation, which took place on the messaging app Signal and related to the attacks against the Houthi rebels, was called 'rather shocking' by Neil Melvin, security expert at the Royal United Services Institute "It seems that some of the highest US officials show a complete disregard for normal security protocols'. commented.

La White House and the Pentagon have denied that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth leaked classified information. However, in addition to the leak, also of concern are the contemptuous tones towards European allies emerged in the conversation. The Vice-President JD Vance complained about the constant 'saving' of Europe, while Hegseth described European behaviour as an example of "pathetic parasitism".

An increasingly tense relationship

These statements represent a further blow to the already fragile transatlantic relationship, tested by Donald Trump's isolationist approach. The former president has tightened migration policies and, on several occasions, shown little interest in allied nations.

Trump has even indicated his intention to acquiring Greenland and turn Canada into the 51st US state. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted by saying that his country will have to 'take more responsibility for its own defence'. The European frustration is tangible. Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP, commented wryly: "If I were Putin, I would feel unemployed. The US administration reveals its own information."

Broken trust

Canadian Prime Minister Carney called the affair 'a very serious matter' which requires quick and concrete answers.

The United Kingdom, particularly exposedclosely shares its intelligence activities with Washington within the alliance of the Five Eyes. The Royal Air Force collaborated in the Houthi attacks, but British Minister Luke Pollard assured that personnel were not put at risk.

Ed Davey, leader of the British Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, stated that the Trump administration's failure to protect its information "could soon also put our intelligence at risk".
'This could put British lives at risk' ha detto. Secondo Alex Clarkson del King’s College di Londra, many of the experienced professionals who were damaging in the first Trump administration are now gone, leaving room for previously restrained behaviour.

An increasingly distant America

The United States has supported European security since World War II, but criticism of Europe's lack of defence investment has grown louder since the Obama administrations. Trump, however, has pushed this frustration much further, proposing a total revision of security arrangements.

During the last campaign, he declared that Russia should 'do what it wants' against NATO countries that do not meet military spending targets. For Max Bergmann, former State Department official, the US now sees Europe as an adversary: "It is clear that it will be almost impossible to rely on the United States to defend democracy in the world," Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary general of International IDEA, also stated.

Yet, according to NATO leaders, American pressure and the war in Ukraine have had an effect: most members now invest at least 2% of GDP in defence. The possibility of a second Trump term and a rapprochement with Putin have accelerated European defence plans. The UK and France are now leading a 'coalition of the willing' for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. Clarkson concludes on a hopeful note for Europe: "Europe's military industrial capacity should not be underestimated. The Americans may have awakened a sleeping giant."

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/03/25/us-allies-alarmed-by-leaked-group-chat-about-houthi-attack-plans/