A batch of highly classified Pentagon documents that appeared to have been leaked online in recent weeks in an apparent catastrophic security breach reveal American intelligence collecting on critical partners, rivals, and competitors, including China.
Many of the documents concern the Ukrainian battlefield and the Russian war effort, with some demonstrating the extent to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner Group.
Pentagon Documents Leaked Online
At least ten of these documents were posted in March on a Discord server dedicated to the video game ‘Minecraft.’ Users of Discord, a gaming messaging software, can send text, audio, video, and images to chatrooms.
The records were transmitted on Discord on March 4, more than a month before the data was released on 4Chan and Telegram when media outlets and officials learned of the sensitive material.
Since Thursday, Justice Department and Pentagon officials have been rushing to figure out where the massive leak originated.
So far, approximately 100 leaked files have been discovered. It’s unclear how many documents were leaked, and how many are authentic or falsified.
Several of the ten documents on Discord were labeled Top Secret and looked to contain maps and casualty data for Ukraine.
According to the outlet, they were placed on the Minecraft Earth Map server by a player attempting to win an argument.
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China’s DF-27 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Worries American Intelligence
Additional references to China in the documents indicate that the US is keeping an eye on China’s weapon development and naval activity.
One mentions a developmental DF-27 flight test on February 25, which it describes as an intermediate-range ballistic missile-class multirole hypersonic glide vehicle. According to the dossier, the weapon has a high probability of breaching US missile defenses.
Other documents indicate that the US is using signals intelligence to obtain information about how other countries interact with China.
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