In a stunning development, a trove of classified Pentagon documents has been leaked, making it one of the most significant breaches of US intelligence in decades.
The documents expose sensitive information on American espionage tactics and its surveillance of both allies and adversaries. It also includes secrets related to Ukraine, Russia, as well as several Asian and Middle East countries. Overall, the leaked documents present a “very serious risk to national security,” a top Pentagon spokesman told reporters.
What are the documents and how many were leaked?
The New York Times first reported the leak after several Russian Telegram channels shared five photographed files.
The leaked documents, some marked “Top Secret”, include at least 100 images of briefing documents and slides prepared between February and March, based on intel gathered by various U.S. agencies. The documents are marked with different security classifications, some cleared for sharing with allies and others marked for U.S. eyes only. Some appear to have been prepared for Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior military official, but anyone with a high security clearance could have accessed them. Some of the circulating documents may have been doctored, but apparently after they were leaked.
How and where were the documents leaked?
The leaked documents first emerged in early March on Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers. The Durch open source investigation site Bellingcat said a Discord user posted over 30 documents, many of which are marked “Top Secret”, on March 1 and 2. The documents gained widespread attention when they appeared on Telegram, 4chan, and Twitter in April, after which major media publications around the world picked it up.
What do the documents reveal?
Among other secrets, the leaks confirmed that the United States spies on allies and adversaries alike. Many of the documents are labeled “NOFORN,” meaning they cannot be released to foreign nationals. Here are some of the key alleged revelations from the cache:
U.S. intelligence-gathering network — The leaked documents offer unprecedented insight into American espionage, exposing secrets such as the CIA’s recruitment of human agents with access to world leaders’ conversations. The 50 pages reviewed by U.S. media detailed the U.S. intelligence apparatus, including the National Security Agency, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, law enforcement agencies, and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) – the most secretive intelligence agency in the government.
Russia-Ukraine war — The documents provided sensitive information, analysis and a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine, from classified sources.
- A document describes four hypothetical scenarios that could impact the war in Ukraine, including the deaths of Putin and Zelenskyy, leadership changes in the Russian Armed Forces, and a Ukrainian strike on the Kremlin. While U.S. officials did not confirm the document’s authenticity, they did not dispute it either.
- The documents reveal that the US intelligence community has extensive knowledge of the Russian military, allowing them to warn Ukraine of impending attacks and assess Russian strengths and weaknesses. According to reports, the U.S. has deeply infiltrated Russia’s security and intelligence services, including high-level military command and intercepted communications within the Russian defense ministry. U.S. has also gained access to the internal plans of Russia’s notorious Wagner Group, a private military contractor.
- Around 97 special forces from the UK, Latvia, France, the U.S., and the Netherlands are on the ground in Ukraine, with the largest contingent from Britain, according to documents.
- Serbia, one of the most pro-Russian countries in Europe, pledged to send arms to Ukraine or has done so already.
- Egypt, one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East, recently ordered subordinates to produce up to 40,000 rockets to be covertly shipped to Russia. Egypt denied allegations and called the document “informational absurdity”.
Israel — Leaked documents reveal a CIA assessment suggested that Mossad leadership may have encouraged staff and citizens to participate in March protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms. Israeli officials have denied the allegations.
South Korea — U.S. intercepted recent discussions with South Korean officials about the possibility of breaking policy and providing military aid to Ukraine through an intermediary country since South Korea officially do not provide lethal weapons to countries at war. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has attempted to downplay the breach.
Iran — The documents also expose that Washington is keeping a close eye on Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon and noted that in recent days Iran had conducted tests of short-range ballistic missiles.
China — The documents disclose that the U.S. has been monitoring China’s weapons development and naval activity. One document suggested that Nicaragua had been strengthening its ties with China.
How Pentagon responded to the breach?
The Pentagon has started an internal review to assess the impact of leaked documents on national security. The review is being led by Milancy D. Harris, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security.
The Pentagon is also taking steps to reduce access to briefings and closely monitoring the spread of the leaked slides. Additionally, the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the leak.
CIA Director William Burns called the leak called the leak “deeply unfortunate” and stated that the Pentagon and the Justice Department are conducting a serious investigation into the matter.
While the Pentagon has been careful not to authenticate the information contained in any specific document, overall “they present a very serious risk to national security and have the potential to spread disinformation,” said Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.
Consequences
The leaked documents are not just a source of embarrassment for the Pentagon, but American officials are also concerned that the breach could potentially harm U.S. operations globally.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the United States will conduct an investigation into the recent leak of classified documents until the source is identified. “We will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it,” Austin said.
