Members of the 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group participate in a Resiliency Tactical Pause on Otis Air National Guard Base, June 4, 2023. Airman 1st Class Julia Ahaesy
Air Force unit resumes intel ops after Discord leak
Jack Teixeira's former group went through “recertification” before it could continue its mission.
The Air National Guard unit once home to the airman who leaked hundreds of classified documents will resume its intelligence mission this week.
“The 102d Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group will resume its intelligence mission in support of Distributed Ground Station-Massachusetts on 1 June 2024 following approval by the Commander of Air Combat Command,” Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in a statement. “The 102d ISRG’s mission was suspended due to the unauthorized disclosure of classified information and was reinstated following an ACC-led recertification process.”
The unit halted operations after Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira leaked secret documents, including assessments of the war in Ukraine, on the messaging platform Discord in 2023. Teixeira was sentenced to prison for 16 years earlier this year.
“The recertification process was authorized after the completion of Secretary of the Air Force and Air Combat Command Inspector General reinspection of the 102d Intelligence Wing and after a new organizational structure was implemented to enhance oversight of ISRG operations. The inspection teams, with participation from members of the headquarters staff, evaluated the remaining open deficiencies, as well as sampling security procedures and culture across the wing,” Stefanek said.
Last year, the Air Force inspector general launched an investigation into the incident, the commander of the 102nd intelligence wing was relieved, and 15 other members of the Guard were disciplined.
The investigation, whose results were publicly released on Dec. 11, found that some airmen with access to classified systems “disregarded” the prohibition against looking at information they had no “need to know.”
Teixeira was an IT maintainer in the 102nd Intelligence Wing and had access to the Pentagon’s Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, a top-secret IT network.
The Pentagon has since said it’s cracking down on “need to know” violations and will improve how it monitors people who handle classified information.