Pentagon Police Bolster Security, Search After Jack Teixeira Arrested in Leaked Documents Case

Pentagon police forces have heightened security measures to ensure classified information is not removed, including random screenings as staff and guests depart.

Checks include uniformed officers checking bags.

The new measures come after Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira was arrested on charges of leaking a trove of classified military documents to an online forum.

A Pentagon spokesman said screening as people come and go was nothing new, but confirmed improved checks in light of a memo from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the protection of classified information.

“The Pentagon Force Protection Agency routinely screens employees entering and leaving the Pentagon for prohibited items and to ensure that classified information is protected and handled in accordance with applicable security requirements. The PFPA has increased these security controls and measures in response to the immediate review of information security procedures led by Secretary of Defense Austin on April 17, 2023,” the Department of Defense spokeswoman said. , Sue Gough, in a statement.

Individual U.S. military bases have also tightened security and searches for classified documents since Teixeira’s arrest, officials said, though such measures are at the discretion of base commanders.

Teixeira, who had a top-secret security clearance, was part of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing and was stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base. He was arrested by the FBI at his home in April. He was charged under the Espionage Act and is being held without bond.