Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that the United States would investigate a recent alleged leak of classified documents until the source is found.
More than 50 documents classified as “Secret” and “Top Secret” were available to Reuters, which were first published on social media in March. The documents would reveal details about the defenses of some US allies and adversaries. Reuters was unable to reliably verify the authenticity of the documents.
“We will continue to investigate and turn every stone until we find the source and its extent (leaks),” Austin said at a State Department press conference.
Austin, the first senior U.S. government official to comment on the leak, said the Pentagon knew the documents were released on February 28 and March 1, but was unsure whether other documents had already been released. line.
“That’s something we’ll learn as we continue our investigation,” Austin added.
Investigators are working to identify individuals who may have had the opportunity and motivation to release classified US intelligence documents. The leaks could be the most significant government disclosure since the 2013 WikiLeaks scandal.
Some of the published documents deal with Ukraine’s military potential and the country’s defense vulnerabilities. One of the documents indicates that there would be special forces from one of the Western countries in Ukraine.
The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the release of classified documents.
Some experts and national security officials suspect the leak may have been carried out by US citizens, given the breadth of topics covered in the documents. As the investigation progresses, other theories about the source of the disclosure may emerge, they said.
US expert on Pentagon leaks
How the leak of more than 100 pages of classified Pentagon documents and what they contained will affect the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ expected counteroffensive, the Russian media service asked US diplomat William Courtney, senior researcher at RAND .
“Obviously, the leak was quite serious, a lot of detailed information was provided, including the structural components of various elements of the Ukrainian defense. But what has not been revealed is the real plan of the counter-offensive. Where will they strike? What time? The West is in a hurry for new arms deliveries. There may be a partial redistribution of arms and ammunition in order to confuse the Russian side and make it clear that the documents published do not give an idea of ​​the true intentions,” Courtney said.
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