Pentagon says document leak poses 'serious' security risk

The leak is being investigated by the US Justice Department and appears to include classified information about the war in Ukraine, as well as sensitive analysis of US allies, countries that US officials are now seeking to reassure.

long time corner of the case leaked documents cause serious security risks in picture 1 — The Pentagon. Photo: Reuters

Dozens of documents have been found on Twitter, Telegram, Discord and other sites in recent days, though some may have been circulating online for weeks, if not months, before they began receiving media attention last week.

Chris Meagher, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, said the documents circulating online posed “very serious risks to national security and have the potential to spread disinformation.”

Many of the documents are no longer available on the websites where they first appeared, and the US is said to be continuing to work to remove them. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was not informed of the issue until the morning of April 6 – the day the New York Times reported on the leaked documents.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that President Joe Biden was informed of the leak “late last week,” but did not provide a specific date.

Many of the documents relate to Ukraine, such as documents providing information about the country's air defense system or other documents about international efforts to build up the country's military .

Additionally, other documents point to US surveillance of its allies, such as one that says leaders of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency supported domestic protests against planned judicial reforms.

The US State Department said US officials had been in touch with its allies about the issue. The Pentagon also said relevant congressional committees had been notified.

Meagher said the Pentagon is working to determine whether the documents are genuine, but noted that the images circulating online appear to show sensitive information.

“The photos appear to show documents in a format similar to those used to provide daily updates to our senior leaders on activities related to Ukraine and Russia, as well as other intelligence updates,” he said, but said some “appear to have been altered.”

This includes a document that appears to have been altered to show that Ukraine suffered more casualties than Russia, when the original version clearly said the opposite was true. Mr Kirby said the US government was concerned that more documents might emerge.

The consequences of a leak could clearly be serious – even deadly – as it could expose US intelligence sources. “The disclosure of classified material could have a huge impact not only on national security, but also on lives,” Meagher said.

Hoang Anh (according to AFP, CNA)

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