{"id":73141,"date":"2023-04-10T22:13:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T22:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/10\/leaked-documents-a-very-serious-risk-to-security-pentagon-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:21:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:21:46","slug":"leaked-documents-a-very-serious-risk-to-security-pentagon-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2023\/04\/10\/leaked-documents-a-very-serious-risk-to-security-pentagon-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaked documents a \u2018very serious\u2019 risk to security, Pentagon says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The online leaks of scores of highly classified documents about the Ukraine war present a \u201cvery serious\u201d risk to national security, and senior leaders are quickly taking steps to mitigate the damage, a top Pentagon spokesman said Monday. And as the public airing of the data sends shockwaves across the U.S. government, the White House said there are concerns there could be additional leaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first became aware on Thursday that a number of classified briefing slides detailing the U.S. military efforts in the Ukraine war<\/a> and intelligence involving other nations were leaked<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days since, Austin has reached out to allies, held daily meetings to assess the damage and set up a group not only to assess the scope of the information lost but review who has access to those briefings. The department is looking closely at \u201chow this type of information is distributed and to whom,\u201d Meagher said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A defense official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said the Pentagon has now taken steps to reduce the number of people who have access to those briefings. The official said the Pentagon regularly reviews access lists to weigh who has a need to know and have access to classified material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked if the U.S. was bracing for more online releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\t