Leak of US Confidential Documents: Impact on National Security and Relations with Partners

The Pentagon is currently reviewing procedures surrounding the dissemination of some of the United States’ most sensitive information. Despite their highly sensitive nature, some documents were reportedly accessible to thousands of people with US government security clearances and its partners. The Pentagon stated in a release that an inter-agency effort is assessing the impact of the disclosure of these documents on US national security and that of its close allies.

Investigation into the Leaks

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the disclosure of the documents. Pentagon investigators are seeking to identify the motivations behind the leak of this information. Hypotheses range from a simple desire to showcase work done to the presence of a traitor within the US intelligence or military community.

“It is highly likely that Russian operations disseminated documents related to Ukraine as part of a Russian disinformation campaign,” said Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA official under cover.

Some US national security experts and officials currently suspect that the leaker could be American, given the diversity of topics covered by the documents, but they do not rule out the possibility of pro-Russian actors. The Kremlin and the Russian embassy have not responded to a request for comment on their possible involvement in the leak.

Reactions from Foreign Governments

The leaks have already prompted reactions from some foreign governments. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as “false and unfounded” allegations in a document that the Mossad, one of the country’s intelligence services, encouraged recent protests against Netanyahu’s plan to strengthen controls over the judiciary.

A South Korean presidential official said the country was aware of the information in the leaked documents and planned to discuss the “issues raised” with Washington. One of the documents provided details on internal discussions among senior South Korean officials regarding US pressure on Seoul to provide weapons to Ukraine and its policy of not doing so.

It is not uncommon for the US and other countries to spy on their allies. However, public disclosures of such espionage activities are embarrassing for these allies, who must explain to their populations how they will respond.

“It will take time to rebuild trust with our allies,” said the second US defense official interviewed by Reuters.

Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, downplayed the lasting impact of the leak. “It is, of course, embarrassing when these activities are publicly disclosed,” he said. “This can cause short-term problems for relations, but I believe that in the long run, the common interests between countries will remain strong.”