As fallout from the revelation that plans for Yemen military strikes were discussed by top Trump administration officials on a commercial messaging app continues to ripple through Washington, D.C., a slate of Pentagon nominees was questioned Thursday on their own past handling of classified information.
Four nominees, including President Donald Trump's pick to be Air Force secretary, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday for their confirmation hearing.
Noting the ongoing scandal over Cabinet officials' use of Signal, an encrypted but unclassified messaging app, to discuss attack plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, asked each nominee whether they have ever discussed classified information in an unclassified setting. All four said they have not.
In addition to Troy Meink, the nominee to be Air Force secretary, Thursday's hearing included Michael Duffey, the nominee to be under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Emil Michael, the nominee to be under secretary of defense for research and engineering; and Keith Bass, the nominee to be assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
The hearing largely focused on more mundane issues for each nominee's potential office, such as Meink's vision for the future of the Space Force and Bass' commitment to research troops' brain injuries.
But Thursday's hearing was the first committee meeting since The Atlantic magazine reported earlier this week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent the Signal group sensitive operational details about the strikes, including timing and weapons platforms, before they were launched. And some Democrats, who have been excoriating Hegseth for sharing what should have been classified details in an unclassified channel, took the opportunity to keep a spotlight on the issue.
In addition to Hirono's questions to the full panel, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst and Defense Department civilian, also specifically pressed Duffey about the Signal scandal. As he awaits approval to be the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, Duffey has been working as Hegseth's deputy chief of staff.
Asked by Slotkin whether he knew of any other Signal chats between Pentagon leaders that contained operational details like those in the Yemen chat, Duffey told the committee that he was "not aware of Signal chats that contain sensitive information."
Despite some testiness between Democrats and GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, who accused Democrats of exaggerating the Signal issue to score political points, the hearing was largely drama-free, suggesting the nominees will be easily confirmed.
Meink, the nominee to be Air Force secretary, has been principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office since 2020. The office oversees the U.S. intelligence community's network of spy satellites.
Meink's career in the Air Force, which he joined through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at South Dakota State University in 1988, included time as a KC-135 Stratotanker navigator and instructor and as a lead test engineer for the Missile Defense Agency.
His nomination as secretary of the Air Force, a job that also oversees the Space Force, was seen as a sign of the importance the president is placing on space in his national security policy. The creation of the Space Force was one of Trump's signature achievements in his first term.
At Thursday's hearing, Meink made clear he views growing the still-young Space Force as one of his top priorities.
"Space is critical. This is actually one of the areas that we're most challenged, I believe, from the rapidly evolving threat from China and others," he said. "I think the key to both acquisition and operations is making sure you have the best talented workforce. These are some of the most complicated systems and, if the U.S. is going to maintain our advantage, which we need to do in space, we need to make sure we have the right workforce.
"The Space Force is in the process of growing," he said. "I will support that activity to make sure we have the right numbers and the right skill set."
Unlike Trump's other picks for service secretaries, Meink would bring an extensive military background to the job if he is confirmed.
But his record has come under some scrutiny. Last month, Reuters reported that a government watchdog investigated allegations that Meink used his role in the National Reconnaissance Office to steer a multibillion-dollar contract toward SpaceX, the company owned by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk.
While two Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed Meink on the Reuters report in a letter ahead of the hearing, the allegations were not mentioned at all Thursday.
Meanwhile, Bass, the nominee to oversee the Defense Department's health system, also faced questions from Democrats about his record ahead of the hearing.
Bass, a retired Navy commander, faced allegations that he did not take a health condition known as Havana syndrome seriously when he led the Central Intelligence Agency's Office of Medical Services. Havana syndrome, also known as anomalous health incidents, or AHI, is a mysterious affliction with an unknown cause that has hit U.S. diplomats, spies and defense officials.
"I reject the premise that I did not take AHI seriously," Bass said Thursday. "All individuals that are affected by AHI, regardless [of cause], should be treated with dignity and respect, and they should be afforded health care."
More generally on brain injuries affecting service members, Bass also committed to "continue to look at ways and devote research to this issue and making sure that we can continue to make progress."
Related: Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary
