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Pentagon Chief: US Will 'Turn Over Every Rock' to Find Source of Defense Leaks

© AFP 2023 / STAFFthe Pentagon building in Washington, DC.
the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.04.2023
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Since early April, the US Defense Department has been turn somewhat upside-down after leaked Pentagon documents surfaced online in a Discord group and a 4chan messaging board. The US Justice Department has since launched a criminal investigation into the development.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has acknowledged that US officials have no clue as to who leaked classified Ukraine-related documents but vowed that his department would "turn over every rock" to find the source of the unauthorized release.
“Now, I can’t say much more while the Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing. But we take this very seriously,” Austin said during a news conference. "We will turn over every rock until we find the source of this, and the extent of it.”
The Pentagon chief underscored that the agency would work alongside allies and partners to get to the bottom of the leak before reiterating to the media that investigators have no concrete evidence as to a culprit.
"It was somewhere on the web… where exactly and who had access, we don’t know," Austin told reporters. "We simply don’t know at this point."
Austin noted that while the Defense Department was aware of the leaked documents dated February 28 and March 1, it remains unknown whether there are other documents that had been uploaded online prior.
It was further pointed out that Ukraine has "much of the capability" needed to be successful in its military efforts despite the Pentagon leaks releasing information regarding the embattled nation's military shortfalls.
Similar sentiments were later relayed by CIA Director William Burns during remarks at the Rice University's Baker Institute. "The deeply unfortunate leak of classified documents is certainly as intense as anything... it's something that the US government takes extremely seriously," he said at the time.
Ukrainian soldiers move a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer into position to fire at Russian positions   - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.04.2023
Analysis
'Pentagon Leak' Indicates US Allies Not Falling in Line With Washington's All-In Ukraine Policy
Since the leak revelations, the Biden administration has repeatedly reiterated that the US' support for Ukraine has not been affected as a result.

Documents leaked from the Pentagon touched on a variety of topics but focus on sensitive information linked to the Ukraine conflict, China, the Middle and the US' intelligence gathering efforts. Some of the documents included a "NOFORN" label, which stipulates the findings are not meant to be shared with foreign nationals.

Speculation on who uploaded photos of the documents online suggests the culprit could have been a disgruntled government employee, or an individual with strong US ties.

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