The Air Force initiated disciplinary action against 15 officers for dereliction in the performance of duties as it relates to the case of Airman Jack Teixeira, who has been arrested and accused of leaking hundreds of classified documents.
The Air Force released the findings from an inspector general investigation on Monday, which concluded that people in Teixeira’s unit failed to take proper action after becoming aware of his intelligence-seeking activities, though they were not aware of his alleged unauthorized release of classified information.
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Teixeira, who had a top-secret clearance while working in the 102nd Intelligence Wing, was reprimanded twice for the improper handling of classified material before his arrest. In those two incidents, which occurred in September and October 2022, his superiors caught him taking inappropriate, including taking notes on secret information. He was also given a cease-and-desist order on deep-diving into intelligence information following the first reprimand, but he chose not to comply with it, according to court documents.
Col. Sean Riley, the 102nd Intelligence Wing commander, received administrative action and was relieved of command for cause, while Enrique Dovalo, the 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group commander, received administrative action for concerns with unit culture and compliance with policies and standards, the Air Force announced. The already suspended commanders from the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and the detachment overseeing administrative support for airmen at the unit mobilized for duty under Title 10 USC were permanently removed.
“Every Airman and Guardian is entrusted with the solemn duty to safeguard our nation’s classified defense information. When there is a breach of that sacred trust, for any reason, we will act in accordance with our laws and policies to hold responsible individuals accountable,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said. “Our national security demands leaders at every level protect critical assets, ensuring they do not fall into the hands of those who would do the United States or our allies and partners harm.”
Teixeira allegedly leaked hundreds of documents detailing the reach of the U.S. intelligence community and revealed key information regarding allies and adversaries alike, though the apparent doctoring of some of the leaked documents raised questions about their veracity at the time.
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He allegedly shared the documents on the Discord app, a platform often used by video game players. At first, he began taking notes on classified intelligence to share with his friends on the platform, but he then stopped that when he got concerned others were onto him, prosecutors allege, so he then decided to print it out, take it home with him, photograph it there, and post those photos online.
Airmen and Guardians had to review security procedure compliance, attend security training, and were surveyed on information security practices during a departmentwide stand-down in response to Teixeira’s alleged actions. The department also implemented several reforms as it relates to access to classified and sensitive information, “increased emphasis on cyber hygiene; and improving security training content and delivery,” among others.
