According to an investigation by the US Air Force, published on December 6, a single individual, Private Jack Teixeira, was found responsible for leaking super-secret military documents on a closed server. The leaked materials, which originated from computer specialist Teixeira of the 102nd Intelligence Wing, eventually made their way onto the Internet and potentially into the hands of foreign governments. Teixeira was arrested in April 2023.
Teixeira’s role involved maintaining the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System (JWICS) and his privileges granted him access to view intelligence and analytical materials within the system, as revealed by the investigation.
Despite Teixeira being the lone perpetrator, there were at least four instances where colleagues noticed concerning behavior but failed to take action. In one instance, Teixeira accessed secret archives in August 2022. Although his immediate supervisor was informed, the incident was not documented as required. He repeated this act in September, even making notes on a paper sticker, again without reporting it to security authorities. While the order to destroy the sticker was given, there was no follow-up to ensure compliance.
Similar incidents occurred in October and January, with only in January 2023, a few months prior to Teixeira’s arrest, did the command learn about the ongoing issues. As a result of these failures, 15 National Guard officers were disciplined, Colonel Sean Riley, the commander of the 102nd Wing, was stripped of his title, and the entire Tacheira unit’s personnel were temporarily suspended from their duties.
The US Air Force has also implemented reforms to enhance access control systems for classified information to prevent a recurrence of such leaks. Frank Kendall, the head of the Air Force, stated, “Each soldier carries a sacred duty to protect state secrets, and those who violate this duty will be appropriately punished.”
The negligence of the commanders was found to be systemic, with insufficient supervision over the night shift, which included Teixeira. Additionally, there were inadequate procedures for monitoring access to confidential information and poorly defined rules for printing documents.
There were also warning signs in Teixeira’s personal file that authorities overlooked. The US Air Force asserts that with more responsible oversight from commanders, the extent of the data leak may have been mitigated. However, due to the negligence of individual officers, the American military must now bear the brunt of significant reputational costs.