US Defense Secretary says he will 'turn over every stone' to find leaker of classified documents

According to Reuters news agency on April 12, Mr. Austin said at a press conference at the US State Department on April 11 (local time): "We will continue to investigate and turn over every stone until we find the source and extent of the leak."

Mr Austin was the first senior US official to comment on the leak. He said the Pentagon was aware that documents had been posted online on February 28 and March 1, but was unsure whether any other documents had been released before that. “Those are things we will find out as we continue to investigate,” Mr Austin added.

Speaking later at Rice University in Texas, CIA Director William Burns called the leak “deeply regrettable,” but did not provide details about what he described as “extremely intense” investigations by the Pentagon and the Justice Department. “We also need to learn from this, how we can tighten up our processes,” Burns said.

Investigators are actively trying to determine who or what group of people may have leaked the classified documents and their motives for leaking the intelligence reports. The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the leak of the classified documents.

Some national security experts and U.S. officials say they suspect the leaker could be American, given the scope of the documents’ topics. As the investigation progresses, more theories may emerge.

Milancy Harris, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, is leading a Pentagon review to assess the potential impact of the leak of the documents.

The current leak could be the most damaging disclosure of information to the US government since the publication of thousands of documents on the WikiLeaks website in 2013. It is one of the largest breaches of military and intelligence information in US history.

Some of the most sensitive information concerns Ukraine’s military capabilities and vulnerabilities. There is also a document that mentions a small number of Western special forces in Ukraine.

The New York Times was the first to report on the leak of classified documents. In its April 6 issue, The New York Times revealed a secret plan by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to help Ukraine launch a spring offensive. The New York Times did not have access to the original documents or have high-level sources, but rather through documents that had appeared on the internet before.

Among the leaked documents is one labeled top secret, which describes the state of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as of March 1. Another document contains columns listing Ukrainian military units, equipment, and training, with a timeline from January to April 2023. The document includes a summary of 12 combat brigades being formed, nine of which appear to be trained and equipped by the United States and NATO members. Of those nine, the document says six will be ready by March 31 and the rest by April 30.

In addition, according to the document, each Ukrainian brigade has about 4,000 to 5,000 troops and the total equipment needed for the nine brigades is more than 250 tanks and more than 350 vehicles. The document also emphasizes that the timing of Western arms transfers to Ukraine will affect the training and combat readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces.

A day later, new classified documents were circulated on social media. This time, the documents were posted on 4chan, an anonymous online information platform. According to The New York Times, more than 100 pages of documents were posted, including sensitive US briefing slides on topics such as China, military issues in the Indo-Pacific region, the Middle East, and terrorism. Notably, among the leaked documents this time was a slide dated February 23, 2023, labeled “Secret/No Forn,” meaning that the US side will not share this information with foreign countries.

In addition to those related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the leaked documents also include copies of daily intelligence briefings provided to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley; CIA reports on the head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad; and the content of discussions within the South Korean government about selling artillery shells to Kiev. Notably, many of the leaked documents contain details about future actions.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper