The Pentagon held an unusual press briefing Sunday to address the leak of more than 100 potentially-sensitive documents. The pages appear to show American intelligence assessments regarding a number of foreign policy issues, including the war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon revealed previously unknown information during the Easter Sunday briefing. The report was the most extensive reveal of what was in the leaked documents.
The Department of Defense said that the agency was “focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our Allies and partners.”
The documents were initially leaked to online forums more than a month ago but received significant attention after a Friday report by the New York Times.
The documents appear to have been for the eyes of the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Mark Milley.
The leak also coincided with concerns that some of the content may have been altered after the fact, though there has not been any solid evidence to indicate this yet.
In particular, the documents show that the United States was spying on allied governments, including Israel and South Korea.
The leaks also appear to indicate that the casualty figures from the war between Russia and Ukraine are different than those previously reported. One primary concern is that the number of Russian casualties in the war may be significantly lower than in previous reports.
The documents also appear to indicate that the United States has an extensive intelligence operation within Russia that allows Washington to understand more about Moscow’s future plans.
The government of South Korea announced that it would take action following the revelation that the United States had been spying on Seoul’s government.
In particular, the United States reportedly spied on Seoul over the potential sale of South Korean artillery shells to Washington.
South Korea was concerned that the shells would then be transferred to Ukraine. South Korea has not sent such lethal military aid to that country.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to visit the United States Apr. 26.
A South Korean official said the government was investigating the circumstances around a leak of highly classified U.S. documents https://t.co/e8bUWHEumo
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 10, 2023
