He was probably authorized for his role as IT facility manager. But the case has opened a debate in the US about too wide access to classified files
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK What is the National Guard and how could a 21-year-old reservist (a part-time soldier) have access to top secret documents? It’s quite shocking that the person responsible for this kind of leak – if it is confirmed that he acted alone – could be a young National Guard reservist, despite the fact that he works for their cyber division.
They are part-time soldiers, defined as “citizen soldiers”, who sign a contract to work at least one weekend a month plus two weeks a year (for annual training). But they can enter active service for a period of time. Even if the National Guard best known for its domestic responsibilities of the United States, such as responding to natural disasters, controlling student protests (this happened in the 60s and 70s) or recently working as teachers in New Mexico when there was a shortage of school personnel, possible to activate it for assignments abroad. They were sent to fight in the Iraq war. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has in the past sent units of the National Guard to Ukraine. Yet so far the Pentagon has not publicly announced the activation of any National Guard units to assist the war effort in Ukraine while they are at home in America.
They are not normally authorized to enter protected areas where classified documents, called Scifs, are kept (Sensitive compartmented information facility).
Here are some possible answers to understand how it could have happened.
1.While intelligence agencies have very strict rules for accessing classified information, the Pentagon regularly grants security clearances to very young military personnel, even 18-year-olds, who have just been enlisted. While 21 seems like a short time, about two-thirds of active US servicemen are younger than 30 and most are younger than 25.
2.Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder explained that the authorization depends on the position they occupy, and before receiving it they are subjected to a thorough check. The work that Teixeira did may have required it. This is Cyber Transport Systems Journeyman. Even many in the American media are unable to explain exactly what it is. It seems that he had to maintain the IT infrastructure and therefore had access to the internal defense network, the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System. A source told the Washington Post That Teixeira also had the green light needed to print the confidential documents, something not normally allowed or accurately monitored.
3. There is clearly a problem with too broad access to classified documents. It should not be forgotten that after 9/11 there had been the opposite problem: the misconception of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was attributed in part to poor information sharing between different intelligence agencies and between them and the government. Since then the sharing has increased. According to some, these changes were made for good reasons, but they went too far. Now the access too wide.
4.Pentagon spokesman Ryder declined to answer one question: whether the 102nd Massachusetts Air National Guard intelligence unit of which Teixeira was a part was assigned to support the war effort in Ukraine. It is possible that in this case one of the tasks of the 102nd was to provide Ukraine-related intelligence. For example, one of the leaks released in recent months reveals that the North Dakota Air National Guard, while located in the United States, was involved in the analysis of drone raids in Bakhmut, Ukraine.
April 14, 2023 (change April 14, 2023 | 08:29)
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