Document Leak Sows Discord for the U.S.

In the first week of April, something dire happened at the Pentagon, which is located ten minutes from the White House and the U.S. Capitol. The headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon is a symbol of the United States’ military prowess, and a symbol that America is a stronghold that is defended inside and out.

That’s why it came as a shock when people learned that at least 100 classified documents were leaked by a National Guard member who worked there at the Pentagon. It’s hard to understate how much of a negative impact this event has had on national security, as well as America’s standing around the world with both its allies and enemies.

National Guard member Jack Texiera, 21, was arrested by the FBI for leaking the illegally accessed documents and posting them on a chatroom of the Discord, an instant messaging platform where you can text, and send voice messages, pictures, and files.

Texiera, who was running a server on Discord, shared confidential government information on the Russian-Ukrainian War, communications, diplomacy, government surveillance on America’s allies, and more.

As an employee of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Texiera worked in intelligence and was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal in September of last year. In school, he was described as odd, giving some acquaintences an uneasy feeling. Former classmates said he had a fascination with firearms, tanks, and other military weapons, and according to CNN, some saw his obsession with the military as a form of nationalism.

According to multiple sources, Texiera leaked approximately 100 documents, but the exact number hasn’t been released. There could be more as it looks like the first documents were posted into a different Discord server.

The documents contained sensitive information that could damage Ukraine’s war efforts, according to ABC News. “They contain many statistics about Ukrainian troop levels, the training of Ukrainian forces, equipment provided to Ukraine by the U.S. and other countries and casualty numbers,” noted a report on ABC News.

One of the things revealed by the leaks is that American ally Israel doesn’t want to supply aid to Ukraine, something the U.S. wants the Israeli government to do. The documents also revealed that Iran is sending aid to Russia, and that Israel has “regularly requested” aid from the U.S. against Iran before, both facts which undermine American’s relationship with multiple countries.

China, South Korea, North Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Serbia, and Taiwan were all mentioned in these leaked documents as well. The leaks prove that the United States is requesting weapons from South Korea, presumably to give to Ukraine. This interferes with South Korea’s policy on not giving weapons to countries currently involved in a conflict.

The documents also state that the U.S. was spying on South Korea. According to Fox News, the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, said that the documents were utterly false and denied any information the documents presented says FOX News. However, it is hard to believe that allegations like this can have a positive impact on America’s relationship with South Korea, or for that matter, with other countries whose leaders are wondering what other secrets of their the Americans might inadvertently share due to shoddy security.

Overall, these documents could mean serious issues for the United States’ foreign relations if these documents are found to be accurate. If we don’t have allies that can trust us, then it’s hard to say whether our country will continue to have allies in the future.