Massachusetts Air National Guard Member Arrested for Leaking Classified Military Documents

On Thursday, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested by the FBI in connection with the recent leak of classified military documents.^[0] Teixeira is accused of the “unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information,” according to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Teixeira, who holds the rank of airman first class, has been in uniform since he entered the Air National Guard in September 2019 and is assigned as a cyber transport systems journeyman.^[1]

The leaked documents, which were posted online, revealed sensitive information about US spying on allies such as Ukraine, South Korea, and Israel, as well as the tensions between Washington and allied capitals over arming Kyiv.^[2] The documents largely pertained to the war in Ukraine, and some have expressed concern that their exposure could put Ukrainian forces at a disadvantage.^[3] The leak raises serious questions about how the government safeguards its secrets and has placed Washington in an awkward position with key allies.^[3]

Teixeira was identified as the leader of a private group on the gamer messaging platform Discord called Thug Shaker Central, where the leaked documents first emerged.^[4] He is believed to have shared at least 300 pages worth of classified Pentagon documents with friends online, according to The Washington Post.^[5] In his final message to his companions, Teixeira admonished them to “keep low and delete any information that could possibly relate to him,” including any copies of the classified documents.

Since news of the leak emerged, the Pentagon has been tightening the distribution of classified information.^[6] Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been convening daily meetings about the breach's effect on national security and how to manage military secrets.^[7] The Pentagon has already signaled it is beginning to learn the lessons of this leak, telling reporters the department is exploring “mitigation measures in terms of what we can do to prevent potential additional unauthorized leaks.”^[8]

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed called the leak a “major security breach that cannot be allowed to happen again.”^[9] He added that “leaking this trove of classified information endangered our military and intelligence professionals and undermined the security of our allies and partners.”^[7] Reed also emphasized the importance of holding accountable anyone with a security clearance who purposefully mishandles classified documents or discloses classified materials.^[9]

Teixeira is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday, though specific charges have not yet been announced.^[10] The investigation into the leak is ongoing.^[9]

0. “Live updates: Arrest made in Pentagon documents leak” CNN, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/pentagon-documents-leak-04-13-23/

1. “Leaked documents investigation: Jack Teixeira arrested by FBI” CBS News, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jack-teixeira-leaked-documents-pentagon-suspect/

2. “Pentagon leaks linked to young gun enthusiast who worked at military base – report” The Guardian US, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/13/pentagon-leaks-og-source-military-base-discord-report

3. “Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira was reading book before FBI arrest” Business Insider, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-teixeira-pentagon-leak-suspect-arrest-dighton-ma-2023-4

4. “Who is Jack Teixeira, the man arrested over Pentagon files leak?” The Guardian US, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/13/who-is-jack-teixeira-the-man-arrested-over-pentagon-files-leak

5. “Leaker of classified documents: what makes the bombshell new U.S. case so unusual” Slate, 13 Apr. 2023, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/04/pentagon-leak-discord-classified-documents.html

6. “What we know about suspected Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira” The Hill, 13 Apr. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/3949172-what-we-know-about-suspected-pentagon-leaker-jack-teixera/

7. “A 21-year-old with top secret access? It's not as rare as you think” POLITICO, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/13/21-year-old-with-top-secret-information-00092002

8. “Stunning leak arrest spotlights major ongoing US intelligence vulnerabilities” CNN, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/13/politics/us-intelligence-vulnerabilities/index.html

9. “FBI arrests 21-year-old Air National Guardsman suspected of leaking classified documents” NBC News, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-officials-identify-leaked-classified-documents-suspect-21-year-old-rcna79577

10. “What we know about Jack Teixeira, alleged Pentagon leaker” Al Jazeera English, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/13/what-we-know-about-jack-teixeira-alleged-pentagon-leaker