Breach
A week and a half after the U.S. launched an intense wave of bombing attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, a journalist revealed he had inadvertently been included in a secure group chat with top U.S. officials discussing specific plans for the attack. The journalist was invited into the chat—which the administration has confirmed as authentic—by national security advisor Mike Waltz, and as a result was privy to war deliberations between Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and high ranking staff including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller.
The underlying rationale for the bombings was to secure the Suez Canal and the Red Sea against ongoing Houthi attacks on shipping vessels. Houthi attacks in the channel have been consistent in recent months and have significantly disrupted commercial shipping for the world economy—especially Europe.
Analysis and eternal perspective: There are at least two critical public policy issues at play here. First, the Houthi attacks, which are self-described as retaliation for U.S. support for Israel. Next, the inadvertent inclusion of someone outside the chain of command on war plans and deliberations.
Each of these issues is a serious one and deserves sober consideration. There is no doubt the Houthis are terrorizing the region and in turn the world economy. It is also unequivocally true that every decision to take military action deserves careful deliberation and due caution. Decisions of war deserve the utmost care and, when engagement is ordered, those carrying out the orders deserve the highest protection possible, including the security of information about the operation.
While both issues are important, the revelation about the group chat is certain to swamp coverage of the underlying bombings. As Jesus followers, we should consider each portion of this story with a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7), prayers for those shouldering the weight of these decisions (1 Tim. 2:1-3), and a heart inclined toward those bearing the brunt of both the Houthi oppression and the ensuing military action (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.