Pentagon Reprimands 15 People for Dereliction of Duty
Although the U.S. Air Force concluded that Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira acted alone in purportedly leaking confidential material, the field operating agency reprimanded 15 individuals for “dereliction of duty” and stated that there were circumstances that made it possible for Teixeira to carry out the crime.
Teixeira’s unit “failed to take proper action after becoming aware of his intelligence-seeking activities,” according to the findings of an Air Force Inspector General probe made public on Monday.
However, there was no proof that his supervisory chain was “aware” of the disclosures.
The investigation apparently discovered a number of indirect causes that contributed to the leak, including inadequate inspection of areas under command, conflicting instructions on how to report security problems, varying interpretations of the “need to know” concept, and a lack of control and supervision during night shift operations.
The 21-year-old is accused of using the social networking site Discord, which is mostly used by online gamers, to leak secret Pentagon data.
In June, he entered a not guilty plea after being charged with six federal charges of intentionally retaining and transmitting material related to national defense.
According to the military, the investigation has resulted in “disciplinary and other administrative actions” for 15 different individuals.
“The actions ranged from relieving personnel from their positions, including command positions, to non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” the U.S. Air Force said.
According to the inquiry, Teixeira’s unit leadership in the 102nd Intelligence Wing neglected mission security and was not “vigilant” in monitoring the behavior of its troops.
The Air Force stated that commanders who had been suspended were permanently removed, and members of that unit were among those who suffered administrative punishment.
“The 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group was taken off mission when Teixeira was discovered as the source of the unauthorized disclosures. The group’s mission remains reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force,” the military posted.
The Air Force has now increased “accountability for protection of classified and sensitive information” and made adjustments “related to need to know and classified access” after the purported disclosures.
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