Austin orders review of intel access and control in wake of leaks

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of intelligence access after the arrest of an Air National Guardsman who is thought to have leaked troves of classified documents online.  

Austin said he was directing the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie “to conduct a review of our intelligence access, accountability and control procedures within the Department to inform our efforts to prevent this kind of incident from happening again,” according to a statement released Thursday evening.  

“As Secretary of Defense, I will also not hesitate to take any additional measures necessary to safeguard our nation’s secrets,” Austin said, stressing that “every U.S. service member, DoD civilian and contractor with access to classified information has a solemn legal and moral obligation to safeguard it and to report any suspicious activity or behavior.” 

The FBI earlier on Thursday arrested Jack Teixeira, 21, of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, in connection with a major document leak across social media platforms that came to light last week. Teixeira allegedly leaked papers, which included classified intelligence, onto a Discord server since at least February.   

The material included detailed intelligence assessments of the war in Ukraine, as well as on allies and adversaries. 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder earlier on Thursday called the leak a “deliberate criminal act.” 

In his statement, Austin commended the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the swift arrest related to the investigation and pledged to work with other agencies to understand the impacts and reach of the leak. 

“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,” he said.