US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said he was first briefed on the reports of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified material on the morning of Tuesday, April 6.
“Since then, I’ve been convening senior department leaders daily on our response, and I’ve directed an urgent cross department effort. And we’ve referred the matter to the Department of Justice, which has opened a criminal investigation, he said.
Secretary Austin made the comments at a joint press conference with visiting Philippines Secretary of National Defense Carlito Galvez Jr. at the State Department on Tuesday following that the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The dialogue gathered also US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo.
“Now, I can’t say much more while the Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing, but we take this very seriously, and we will continue to work closely with our outstanding allies and partners. And nothing will ever stop us from keeping America secure,” he added.
On his part, Secretary Blinken said the US has engaged with allies and partners “at high levels over the past days, including to reassure them about our own commitment to safeguarding intelligence and, of course, our commitment to our security partnerships.” “With regard to Ukraine itself, I did speak to Foreign Minister Kuleba today. And in speaking to him among other things, I reaffirmed our enduring support for Ukraine and for its efforts to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, its independence.
“We are determined to assist Ukraine in the efforts that it’s making to regain the territory that’s been seized from it. And I reaffirmed that commitment today in speaking to Foreign Minister Kuleba,” Blinken added.
Yesterday, the White House announced an interagency investigation, led by the State Dept., to determine the possible damage resulting from the leaks in the recent weeks of classified documents related to allies in Europe, southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
Source: Kuwait News Agency