The United States Senate Armed Services Committee requested a formal investigation into the use by Trump administration officials of the Signal messaging application to discuss confidential military operations, and made suggestions for how similar cases can be avoided in the future.

Leaders of the committee, Chairman Roger Wicker (R) and Senator Jack Reed (D), wrote a letter to Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins, asking him to conduct a complete review of the contents of the chat and compliance with security guidelines. The letter also requests an examination of classification and declassification practices within the Defense Department, White House, and intelligence agencies. The letter also demands an investigation of whether classified information was moved from secure systems to unclassified systems.

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The scandal broke after reports indicated that senior Trump officials, such as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, were involved in a Signal conversation regarding a March 15 attack on a Houthi militant in Yemen. The discussion accidentally included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, raising fears of possible security leaks.

Although no Republican legislators have demanded resignations, some, such as Senator Lisa Murkowski, were alarmed. “This outrageous security failure could have put our troops at risk. Operational security needs to be a top concern, particularly for our leaders,” Murkowski tweeted on X.

Democrats have been more outspoken, calling for accountability of those implicated. As the probe continues, the Armed Services Committee intends to hold a briefing with the Inspector General’s office to discuss findings and possible policy changes.

The Defense Department has not responded to the request, while Trump’s administration persists in playing down the extent of the breach.