The U.S. Air Force has found that 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira acted alone in allegedly leaking classified documents.
According to reports, he is suspected of leaking classified Pentagon documents on Discord, the gamers’ social media platform.
Teixeira, who is only a guardsman, was privy to information that was above his pay grade. Therefore, the force launched a full-blown investigation to determine if other officers were guilty. However, the results of this investigation found that he acted alone, but his superiors were negligent.
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According to the results, his unit “failed to take proper action after becoming aware of his intelligence-seeking activities.” But, there was no evidence that they were aware of the leaks.
Therefore, the force decided to discipline 15 officers in this unit for “dereliction of duty.” Furthermore, the investigation found some indirect factors that allowed Teixeira’s leaks to go unnoticed. These include failure to inspect areas under command adequately and inconsistent guidance for reporting security incidents.
In addition, a lack of supervision and oversight on night shift operations also aided the leak. Inconsistent definitions of the “need to know” concept also made it easy for Teixeira to obtain information. The Air Force guardsman was indicted on six federal counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.
However, he pleaded not guilty in June. This launched a full probe into Teixeira’s position and his activities in the force. “The actions ranged from relieving personnel from their positions, including command positions, to non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” the Air Force said.
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They also subjected 15 other individuals to “disciplinary and other administrative actions” after their findings from the probe. The leaders of his unit in the 102nd Intelligence Wing were also not off the hook. Instead, the members of that unit were among those who received the disciplinary and administrative actions.
This is because they failed to carry out their duties to be “vigilant” in overseeing their members’ conduct. They also didn’t prioritize mission security appropriately. As for the commanders who were previously on suspension, the force removed them permanently.
In a statement, the force said, “The 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group was taken off the mission when Teixeira was discovered as the source of the unauthorized disclosures. The group’s mission remains reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force.”
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The Air Force also implemented several reforms across all its units to prevent future leaks. These reforms are “related to need to know and classified access” and have improved “accountability for protecting classified and sensitive information.
Teixeira is not off the hook yet, as he still has several court hearings ahead of him. If found guilty, he could face dismissal from service. They could also charge him with many years in prison in the future, as leaking classified information is a federal offense.
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