Air Force Disciplines 15 People After Investigation Into Accused Leaker

An investigation by the Air Force Inspector General determined that Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira acted alone when he allegedly leaked classified military documents online.

However, officials disciplined 15 others for "dereliction of duty" because they "failed to take proper action after becoming aware of his intelligence-seeking activities."

The commander of Teixeira's unit, Col. Sean Riley of the 102nd Intelligence Wing, was relieved of his command, while the other commanders of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron who had previously been suspended were "permanently removed" from their posts.

The report detailed numerous failures that allowed Teixeira to gain access to classified documents he was not allowed to view. It found that commanding officers did not adequately inspect the areas under their command and that there was a lack of supervision of night shift operations. In addition, there was "inconsistent guidance for reporting security incidents" and an "inefficient and ineffective" process for handling disciplinary actions.

Teixeira was charged with six federal counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors claim that Teixeira stole and copied classified documents while working as a cyber systems journeyman with the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 102nd Intelligence Wing. He then posted those documents to a private Discord server.

Teixeria pleaded not guilty to the charges.