A U.S. National Air Guard member has leaked highly classified Pentagon documents on the social media platform Discord, releasing intelligence about the war in Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, approximately 50 documents were leaked. The Defense Department, along with officials from the White House and Justice Department, is currently investigating the intelligence leak, but has taken steps to tighten access to highly sensitive documents by limiting the number of people across the government who are given access to daily highly classified intelligence briefs.

The leaker has been identified as 21-year-old Jack Douglass Teixeira, who worked as an I.T. specialist on Massachusetts’s National Air Guard base and held top secret clearance since 2021. Teixeria began posting pictures of the Pentagon documents onto the invite-only Discord server “Thug Shaker Central” starting in January 2023.

Federal agents arrested the guardsman on April 13^th at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, a week after the leak became widely known. According to court documents, Teixeria was charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material. He currently awaits trial in jail, facing a maximum sentence of 15 years.

The leaked documents featured intelligence about U.S. adversaries China and Russia, including information about China’s weapon program – specifically, the development of hypersonic missiles. These missiles are especially dangerous because they are designed to travel five times faster than the speed of sound and can be maneuvered in the air. Additionally, the documents suggest that China is likely in the process of developing cyber-attack capabilities with the goal of hijacking Western satellites. Meanwhile, information about the Wagner Group divulged the group’s intention to buy weapons from Turkey, a N.A.T.O. member. The Russian private military company specifically sought out drones, electronic warfare systems, and howitzer artillery for Wagner mercenaries to use alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Some documents also exposed U.S. spying on ally countries, specifically South Korea, Israel, and Ukraine. Details of a conversation between South Korean security officials over their concern about the U.S. wanting to supply more ammunition to Ukraine are among the leaked information, as well as a C.I.A.-produced report claiming that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has been encouraging protests against the new Israeli government. Lastly, several documents disclosed U.S. pessimism about the war in Ukraine, explicitly highlighting weaknesses in Ukraine’s weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes.

A high-ranking Pentagon official told reporters that the documents released in the leak pose “a very serious risk to national security and have the potential to spread disinformation.”

With the information now available, U.S. officials have been forced to re-assure the nation’s allies of the United States’ loyalty to security partnerships and commitment to safeguarding intelligence.