How Leaked Pentagon Documents Target Egypt, Turkey, and Israel

T

he international community was shocked by the disclosures in the leaked U.S. classified intelligence documents originating from the Pentagon. According to reports by the U.S. media, the person who leaked the documents on April 13, 2023 was Jack Teixeira. He was arrested in his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts by FBI agents on the same day.

Jack Douglas Teixeira was identified as an airman at the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at the Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod.

Prior to assessing some of the information contained in the documents, it would be beneficial to examine how they were shared with the public.

The method employed to leak these documents is noteworthy in terms of intelligence techniques. Namely, Teixeira, who leaked the documents, adopted a very distinct and unconventional tactic to evade detection.

The earliest version of the documents appeared on the internet on March 1, 2023. Subsequently, more records were uncovered. The leaks were initially shared on Discord, a social media platform prevalent among computer gamers, and disseminated on channels on the same platform. One of these channels was dedicated to Minecraft players, and the other belonged to a Filipino YouTuber.

Released in early January

According to Bellingcat, an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) website, some of the documents may have been released as early as January 2023 or even before. The documents were then shared on 4chan, an anonymous English-language imageboard website, on April 5, 2023. Hours later, the documents emerged on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, and then prominent Russian military bloggers started analyzing them in posts. Finally, after April 7, the documents appeared on platforms such as Twitter and Reddit.

Approximately 700,000 classified intelligence and military reports have purportedly been disclosed since March. After the WikiLeaks scandal, the Pentagon leaks might be the most substantial disclosure in U.S. history. Although the Pentagon leaks were initially thought to be fabricated, statements by U.S. officials indicate that they are authentic.

For instance, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Public Affairs John Kirby stated that they cannot verify the leaked documents, but that the information is not intended for public consumption and the documents should not appear in newspapers and on TV. Thus, Kirby implicitly confirmed the documents’ veracity. That said, it is crucial to keep in mind that some of the documents may be falsified or manipulated.

A 21-year-old U.S. officer

Did a low-ranking, 21-year-old U.S. officer do this alone? Could another country’s foreign intelligence service be behind these leaks? Are they part of an espionage operation? Of course, various conspiracy theories have already been put forth.

As expected, Russia and China whose contention with the U.S. is globally known are the usual suspects since their intelligence services possess the cyber espionage and human intelligence (HUMINT) capacity to acquire classified documents. Russia’s worsening relations with the U.S. due to the Russia-Ukraine war adds salt to injury.

After all, Russia’s support for Edward Snowden following his 2013 disclosures from the National Security Agency (NSA), which provides signal intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) to the U.S. on a global level, has been obvious. Snowden, who fled the U.S. law enforcement, is currently residing in Russia, where he has been granted political asylum.

Contrary to these assessments, Russia contends that the disclosures are, in fact, a U.S. manipulation. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov briefly implied that the documents may be fabrications and were intentionally divulged in order to deceive Moscow.

The US and political and military planning by Ukraine and Russia

Rather than analyzing the source of the documents, it is more helpful to evaluate the content of the leaked documents in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war. The records reveal that the U.S. has been closely monitoring all political and military planning by Ukraine and Russia since the outbreak of the war from the perspective of its own interests.

It is therefore evident that the U.S. relies on its intelligence sources rather than the information provided by Ukraine, its ally in the war. The documents also disclose that many of Russia’s military plans and information that should have remained confidential were known to the U.S. This is a remarkable vulnerability for Russian counter-espionage.

Furthermore, the leaks comprise various analyses of the positions of Turkey, Israel, and Egypt in the Ukraine-Russia war. I would argue that the leaks expose evidence of the support offered by Turkey, Israel, and Egypt to the U.S. in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In fact, Turkey has been pursuing a policy of active neutrality in the Russia- Ukraine war, which has made Ankara a reliable actor for both sides. The success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and prisoner swaps, brokered by Turkey, are also revealing. Leaks about Turkey suggest that the Wagner militia wants to purchase weapons from Ankara.