The following is the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force investigation into the disclosure of classified information by Airman 1st Class Jack D. Teixeira over an online game chat group earlier this year.
From the report
Executive Summary
SecAF directed this investigation in response to the unauthorized disclosure of classified information from the 102d Intelligence Wing (102 IW), Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Massachusetts. SecAF directed The Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force (SAF/IG) to “investigate compliance with policy, procedures, and standards and the unit environment at the 102 IW related to the unauthorized disclosure of classified national security information.” While the precipitating event was centered on the 102 IW, the investigation included organizations and areas outside the 102 IW regarding security-related policies and procedures. Although related, this administrative investigation is separate from the criminal investigation currently being led by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
On 13 Apr 23, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents from the Boston Field Office arrested A1C Jack D. Teixeira, a Cyber Transport Systems Apprentice in the Massachusetts ANG (MAANG), on suspicion of willfully retaining and transmitting classified national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it via Discord, a social media platform. A1C Teixeira enlisted in the USAF on 26 Sep 19, and his Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) background check was adjudicated on 29 Jun 21. On 1 Oct 21, he began the first of two consecutive in-place Title 10 (T10) tours. As a computer/IT specialist in the 102d Intelligence Support Squadron (102 ISS), A1C Teixeira had access to numerous classified systems, including the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System (JWICS), a TS-SCI platform, to perform system maintenance. His access to JWICS enabled him to view intelligence content and analysis that reside on those systems.
A1C Teixeira was reportedly involved in an online chat group on Discord discussing geopolitical affairs and current and historical wars. FBI currently assesses A1C Teixeira started to post classified information as early as Feb 22. Initially, A1C Teixeira was allegedly posting rewritten “paragraphs of text.” Then, around Jan 23, he allegedly started posting photographs of documents that contained Top Secret classification markings and described the status of a current military conflict, including troop locations. A1C Teixeira reportedly stated he was concerned he would be discovered making the transcriptions in the secure work center on Otis ANGB, so he began taking the documents home to photograph and post online.
Evidence indicates the primary cause of the unauthorized disclosure is the alleged actions of one individual, A1C Teixeira, who is suspected to have violated trust and security protocols to unlawfully disclose national security information. Determining A1C Teixeira’s motives and actions remain the focus of the DOJ and FBI efforts. However, there are also a number of factors, both direct and indirect, that contributed to the unauthorized disclosures.
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