Pete Hegseth's plan diverts to UK after onboard emergency
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's plane diverted to the United Kingdom after signalling an emergency during the flight back from a NATO meeting in Brussels.
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Italy's War Minister Guido Crosetto puts his hand on the shoulder of United States War Secretary Pete Hegseth during a group photo of NATO War ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP)
A plane thought to be carrying US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, which had left Belgium after a NATO meeting, diverted to the United Kingdom after declaring an onboard emergency.
The United States Air Force airplane with the call sign SAM153 sent the "Squawk 7700" emergency code, which is a universal transponder signal for a general emergency, according to the website.
Hegseth, the current Secretary of War, has been surrounded with controversies since he took office, with the most recent being changes he made to the Pentagon's Inspector General operations, which POLITICO revealed in a report on October 4.
Hesgeht's changes to Inspector General office sideline whistleblowers
The POLITICO report stated that the Inspector General was finalizing a report that examined Hegseth's handling of sensitive military information and that the investigation centered on his release of classified details about Yemen military strikes through a Signal group chat, an incident that became known as "Signalgate".
Hegseth announced new requirements for the IG office, including a strict seven-day deadline for processing complaints, mandatory bimonthly updates on investigations, and a higher standard of proof for cases to move forward.
Additionally, complaints must now show "credible evidence" from the outset, and any complaints deemed "frivolous" or false will face penalties. The secretary defends his changes by claiming the watchdog office "has been weaponized" and that there are inefficient policies that require reform.
Former Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch, who was fired by Trump in January, told POLITICO that whistleblowers provide critically important information to the large War Department and emphasized that frontline personnel must feel safe reporting problems.
Critics fear the new rules will have the opposite effect, arguing that the strict seven-day deadline could force investigators to dismiss cases requiring more development.
