The US Army placed Andrew Hugg, Branch Chief of Nuclear and Chemical Surety, on administrative leave Tuesday and escorted him from the Pentagon after an undercover video recorded him discussing nerve agents, nuclear launch protocols, civilian casualties in Iran, and assassination plans for Tehran’s new supreme leader — with a woman he believed was a date.
Hugg was recorded at a public restaurant by an undercover journalist working for O’Keefe Media Group. The Army confirmed the action in a statement: “We have placed Mr. Hugg on administrative leave while we conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said.
The Army has not publicly addressed any specific statement in the footage. Hugg’s LinkedIn profile was deactivated after the video was released.
OMG redacted portions of the footage it said contained sensitive details about the US nuclear arsenal, including underground missile locations. In what was released, Hugg tells the journalist the US maintains nerve agent stockpiles and describes a recent death — a US Army chemist who, he says, was killed by exposure after failing to follow safety protocols.
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He names Sarin and adds, “We have it here. It’s here in Maryland.” When asked about children killed in US strikes on Iran, he replies: “Not intentionally, but yeah” — calling such losses “collateral damage.” Of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei: “If he doesn’t change his ways, yeah, they’re going to kill him.”
On nuclear launch protocols, Hugg describes the authorization chain in informal terms: “We’re literally trained — if a Girl Scout gives you a message, a launch message, she knocks on your door, goes, ‘Here you go,’ she gives you a launch message on a box of cookies. If it passes all the checks, go.” He also tells the journalist: “The easiest way to get intelligence… send a pretty girl, talk to the guy” — then asks her: “You’re not a spy, right? Your eyes have mesmerized me so much… almost like you’re an intelligence.”
O’Keefe Media Group has a documented history of selectively edited undercover videos. The Army has confirmed only the administrative leave and investigation, not the accuracy or completeness of any claim in the footage.
The classification status of the information Hugg discussed has not been independently confirmed. Hugg has not responded publicly, and the investigation is ongoing.
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