The Thursday arrest of a junior airman raises questions about how the military handles clearances.The Thursday arrest of a junior airman raises questions about how the military handles clearances.
The leak of secret military documents last week sent shockwaves through the Pentagon, but Defense Department officials are less surprised by the revelation Thursday that the Justice Department has arrested a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman in connection with the case.
It’s not uncommon for relatively junior officials to have access to top-secret information, according to DoD officials and experts. In fact, more than 1 million U.S. government employees and contractors have that privilege, said Mark Zaid, a lawyer specializing in national security, citing an April 2020 report to Congress from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
In the Pentagon for example, junior officers are frequently tasked with putting together briefing books for senior leaders, such as many of the Joint Staff products that were leaked, said one DoD official, who — like others — was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. And it’s often young National Guard and Reserve officers who are activated to stand watch in a crisis situation, said another DoD official.
“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age. Think about a young combat platoon sergeant, the responsibility and trust we put into those individuals to lead troops in combat,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday while declining to comment on the DOJ investigation. “You receive training and you will receive an understanding of the rules and requirements that come along with those responsibilities.”
The FBI on Thursday arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, in connection with the major leak of dozens of pages of classified Pentagon documents, many of which were photos of slides developed by the Joint Staff to brief senior leaders about the situation in Ukraine.
No specific charges were immediately announced, but Teixeira is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday.
Live video from local television stations showed law enforcement leading the young male suspect from his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, where both Teixeira and his mother live.
