The Pentagon has described the leak of classified US Defence Department documents as a “very serious” risk to national security. The documents, which appear to include sensitive information regarding the war in Ukraine, as well as on China and US allies, are said to be in a format similar to documents issued to senior leaders. An investigation has been opened to determine the source of the leak.
The documents first appeared on online platforms such as Twitter, 4chan and Telegram, as well as on a Discord server for the video game “Minecraft”. In addition to highly detailed information about the war in Ukraine, some of the leaked documents are said to cast light on sensitive briefing materials relating to US allies. Other documents reportedly focus on defence and security issues in the Middle East as well as in the Indo-Pacific region.
At a press conference on Monday, a high-ranking Pentagon official said that the documents were “a very serious risk to national security and have the potential to spread disinformation”. Chris Meagher, the assistant to the secretary of defence for public affairs, added that steps were being taken to investigate how this happened, as well as the scope of the issue. Meagher declined to answer when asked if the Pentagon believes the documents to be genuine, although he said that some “appear to have been altered”.
The Justice Department is now investigating the leak, alongside officials from the Pentagon, White House and elsewhere in the US government. The format of the documents is similar to that “used to provide daily updates to our senior leaders on Ukraine and Russia-related operations, as well as other intelligence updates,” Meagher said. The Pentagon first became aware of the document leak last week, with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin first briefed on the matter on 6 April.
National security spokesman John Kirby said that US President Joe Biden was first briefed about the leak last week. When asked whether the leak has so far been contained and whether other documents have yet to be released, Kirby said “I don’t know”.
Meagher said that the document leak has prompted US officials to reassure its allies “of our commitment to safeguarding intelligence and fidelity to our security partnerships”. He added that while he declined to comment on the potential impact that the documents could have on the front lines in Ukraine, he said that “the Ukrainians have demonstrated their capability and competence in this war”. He concluded by saying that both President Biden and Secretary Austin have made it clear that “the United States is going to be with them for as long as it takes”.
The Pentagon has expressed serious concerns over a leak of classified US Defence Department documents. The documents, which are believed to include sensitive information regarding the war in Ukraine, as well as on China and US allies, have been found on various online platforms. An investigation has been opened to determine the source of the leak.
At a press conference, a high-ranking Pentagon official described the documents as “a very serious risk to national security and have the potential to spread disinformation”. Chris Meagher, the assistant to the secretary of defence for public affairs, said that steps were being taken to investigate how this happened, as well as the scope of the issue. The Justice Department is now investigating alongside other US government officials.
Meagher said that the format of the documents is similar to those used for daily updates to senior leaders on Ukraine and Russia-related operations, as well as other intelligence updates. The Pentagon first became aware of the document leak last week, with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin first briefed on the matter on 6 April. National security spokesman John Kirby said that US President Joe Biden was first briefed about the leak last week.
The document leak has prompted US officials to reassure its allies “of our commitment to safeguarding intelligence and fidelity to our security partnerships”. Meagher said that while he declined to comment on the potential impact that the documents could have on the front lines in Ukraine, he said that “the Ukrainians have demonstrated their capability and competence in this war”. He concluded by saying that both President Biden and Secretary Austin have made it clear that “the United States is going to be with them for as long as it takes”.