DOD working new information security policies following leak

A Pentagon review has found that, while there is no systemic challenge to protecting classified information at the Defense Department, there has been a steady increase in the number of facilities that handle sensitive information as well as the number of personnel with access to that information, according to two senior defense officials.

The 45-day review was directed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the arrest of 21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking top-secret documents and has pleaded not guilty to six federal criminal charges.

A Pentagon fact sheet states that the review found that the “overwhelming majority” of DOD personnel comply with security policies while also identifying “areas where the department should improve its security posture and accountability measures.”

To that end, Austin has issued a new Pentagon memo directing several actions, including that DOD leaders issue a “plan of action and milestones” that ensures all personnel are “included and accounted for in designated security information technology systems by August 31, 2023.”

Some of the review’s recommendations include adding “top secret control officers” to monitor the use of classified information, as well as spending more money on technical tools and monitoring systems to improve the security clearance process. Other recommendations involve increasing training for DOD personnel.

Meanwhile, senior DOD officials who briefed the press on the condition of anonymity said the review tried its best to keep the necessary flow of classified information unimpeded.

The officials said implementing the review’s findings will be focused on processes that ensure those with a “need to know” have the access they need.

“The department is mindful of the need to balance information security with requirements to get the right information to the right people at the right time to enhance our national security,” the fact sheet states. “As DOD implements the recommendations and associated actions from this review, careful consideration will be given to guard against any ‘overcorrection’ which may impede progress on information sharing and operating models that better enable DOD to execute the National Defense Strategy and its overall mission.”