The lives of Royal Air Force pilots were put at risk after a secret group chat involving US officials that discussed air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen was leaked. 

A British Voyager plane was reportedly used to refuel American jets defending the aircraft carrier that launched the strikes on March 15, killing more than 50 people. 

Speaking to The Telegraph, former head of the Army Lord Dannat said: ‘As US officials gave away classified information about future operations in which the RAF were involved, this undoubtedly placed British personnel at higher risk.

‘I hope the White House will tighten its security rapidly and considerably. We will continue to operate with the US, but need to be confident about their operational security.’ 

Lord Dannat’s remarks come after national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic, the magazine reported in a story posted online on Monday. 

Trump initially told reporters he was not aware that the highly sensitive information had been shared, 2 1/2 hours after it was reported. He later appeared to joke about the breach. 

The material in the text chain ‘contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing,’ editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported.

It was not immediately clear if the specifics of the military operation were classified, but they often are and at the least are kept secure to protect service members and operational security. The U.S. has conducted airstrikes against the Houthis since the militant group began targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023.

Former head of Army Lord Dannatt says the accidental sharing of messages when a White House group chat on Yemen was leaked endangered RAF pilots 

A British Voyager plane was reportedly used to refuel American jets defending the aircraft carrier that launched the strikes in Yemen on March 15, killing more than 50 people. his image taken from video provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025

Pictured: IS aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025

Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Meanwhile, allies of the US saw the group chat as a jaw-dropping security breach which casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington and the security of joint military operations. 

‘Scary’ and ‘reckless’ was the verdict of one European diplomat about the discussion on the Signal messaging app about strikes on Houthi rebels. 

Neil Melvin, a security expert at defense think tank the Royal United Services Institute, called it ‘pretty shocking.’

‘It’s some of the most high-ranking U.S. officials seeming to display a complete disregard for the normal security protocols,’ he said.

Beyond the security concerns raised by the leaked chat, U.S. officials addressed the country’s trans-Atlantic allies with disdain as Vice President JD Vance complained about ‘bailing out’ Europe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed ‘pathetic’ European ‘freeloading.’

The criticism is another blow to a long-standing relationship already strained by President Donald Trump’s blunt ‘America First’ approach and disregard for friendly nations. 

Melvin said that for America’s allies, ‘the alarm clock’s been ringing for a long time.’

In this photo taken from video released by Ansar Allah Media Office via Al Masirah TV channel shows a girl being treated at a hospital in Saada, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025 following airstrikes over multiple targets in the country

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as military strikes are launched against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, at an unspecified location in this handout image released March 15, 2025

In public, however, European officials insisted all was well in the trans-Atlantic relationship.

‘We have a very close relationship with the U.S. on matters of security, defense and intelligence,’ said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares. ‘They are our closest ally when it comes to these matters, have been for many years and will be for many years to come.’

France’s Foreign Ministry said ‘the United States is our ally, and France intends to continue its cooperation with Washington, as well as with all its allies and European partners, in order to address current challenges — particularly in the area of European security.’ 

Meanwhile, The Atlantic magazine went on offence Wednesday by publishing more messages from the chat group that editor-in-chief Goldberg was accidentally added to as key White House officials discussed war plans against the Houthis. 

On Monday, Goldberg had published a piece entitled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans. 

Goldberg left out some of the messages, including details shared by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for fear they could endanger American military personnel. 

President Trump, Hegseth and other key White House officials, in turn, called Goldberg a bevy of names, including a ‘total sleazebag,’ in an attempt to delegitimize his reporting. 

On Wednesday, Goldberg came with more receipts – including the exact details Hegseth shared as the U.S. military attacked the Houthis, an Iran-backed group in Yemen who were attacking vessels on the Red Sea. 

‘The statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump – combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts – have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions,’ wrote Goldberg and The Atlantic’s Shane Harris. 

‘There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in non-secure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared,’ the journalists added.