Austin orders review of intelligence access and control procedures after leaks

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of how the Department of Defense handles intelligence access and accountability following a massive trove of leaked classified documents.

The undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, Ronald Moultrie, has been directed by the Secretary to lead the review process. This order came just hours after the FBI arrested an Air National Guardsman accused of illegally releasing hundreds of classified documents.

“I will also not hesitate to take any additional measures necessary to safeguard our nation’s secrets,” said Austin in a statement, adding, “The Department of Defense, in close partnership with the Intelligence Community and our interagency partners, will continue to review the national security implications of this unauthorized disclosure.”

Moultrie will conduct a review of the Department’s intelligence access, accountability, and control procedures to prevent this kind of incident from happening again, said the Secretary.

21-year-old Jack Teixeira, an enlisted airman with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested without incident by the FBI. He is accused of releasing hundreds of classified military documents on Discord, a popular social media and messaging platform. Austin was first briefed on the subject on April 6.

The documents he allegedly released revealed significant U.S. intelligence about a wide range of topics concerning allies and foes alike. Some allies have said the documents contain falsehoods, while the Pentagon has declined to comment on the released intelligence.

“Just as we’re limited in what we can say about the DOJ’s ongoing investigation, we’ll be also very limited in what we can say about any of the documents themselves,” Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said Thursday. “And while we certainly understand the media’s interest in asking questions about the content of these documents, I will highlight that as a matter of long-standing policy, just because classified information may be posted online or elsewhere does not mean it has been declassified by a classification authority.”

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks sent a memo to senior Pentagon leaders on Thursday with reminders about their policies on classified information. It reiterated that “personnel with access to classified information are trusted stewards of that information and the responsibility to safeguard classified information is a lifetime requirement for each individual granted a security clearance.”

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