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Leaking of classified information is against the law, cannot be tolerated, and will, when proven, lead to the prosecution of those found to be engaged in such activity. Revealing unclassified, but sensitive, pre-decisional, or otherwise restricted information is also prohibited unless specifically authorized.
Current DoD policy, outlined by Directive 5122.05, 'Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs,' (attached) states that the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs is the sole release authority for official DoD information to news media in Washington, and that all media activities must be coordinated through appropriate public affairs channels. This policy is, all to often ignored. Accordingly, we must enhance our internal coordination mechanisms to ensure that Department officials are aware of the most current departmental and inter-agency information and perspective on the topic at hand when they engage the media. We need to ensure that, as they do so, we avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications caused by insufficient situational awareness.
Accordingly, prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications, all component leaders or their public affairs officers must notify OSD Public Affairs which, in turn and as appropriate, will ensure that senior Department officials with the relevant overall knowledge and situational awareness have been consulted. |
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Name(s:) |
Robert Gates |
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Title: |
Secretary of Defense |
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Agency(ies): |
Department of Defense |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Title: |
Subject: Interaction with the Media |
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Author: |
Robert Gates |
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Title: |
Secretary of Defense |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Department of Defense |
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Audience: |
Deputy Secretary of Defense, Secretaries of the Military Departments, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Under Secretaries of Defense, Commanders of the Combatant Commands, Assistant Secretaries of Defense, General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense Director, Administration and Management |
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QUESTION: To pursue another aspect of the memo and your comments today, which is the unauthorized release of classified information, charges were filed this week against Private Manning in the so-called WikiLeaks case. How significant a breach of national security do you view that? And given that a young soldier is alleged to have had relatively free access to information, was able to download it and take it out of his headquarters, are you ordering any kind of review of security clearance processes, computer security, or any other steps that are necessary?
SEC. GATES: Well, first of all, Thom, I don't know the seriousness of the breach. I'm not familiar with the investigation that took place, and so would basically have to say I defer to the Army in terms of the -- of the specific case. In some respects, what this illustrates is the incredible amount of trust we place in even our most junior men and women in the uniform. And I would be loath to change that because of a few examples, because there are a few bad apples. We have over 2 million men and women in uniform, and I believe we should always err on the side of trusting them because virtually all of them -- not 100 percent, but nearly 100 percent -- give us reasons every single day to continue trusting them. So, no, I haven't ordered a review. If the results of the investigation suggest that might be necessary, then we'll take a look at it at the time. But my instinct is to take these on a case-by-case basis. |
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Name(s:) |
Robert Gates |
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Title: |
Secretary of Defense |
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Agency(ies): |
Department of Defense |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Archive: |
Archive Link
http://archive.is/oXN5a |
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QUESTION: May I also follow up very briefly on the media memo? Because, again, in it you say, sir, any means of media and public engagement -- any means -- with possible national or international implications. That is perhaps, I think, the broadest, by any measure, bounding or restriction: any means of public engagement. Could you explain, do troops and commanders and people in the United States military give up -- I'm quite serious -- their right of free speech, their right to speak freely? Does any public engagement they have, which is what your words say, now have to be screened? Do they -- what rights of free speech does a person in the United States military have?
SEC. GATES: Let me ask the chairman --
ADM. MULLEN: From my perspective, this isn't at all about the First Amendment. It's very much about what the secretary laid out in terms of coordination and synchronization and the discipline. It is not in any way, shape or form meant to preclude the -- the proper engagement with the press. And all of us in the military understand that being in the military, we follow certain guidelines. And this is -- this is to actually, in great part, emphasize guidance that has been out there for an extensive period of time but we've just -- we just walked away from. And so I think in light of what's -- certainly in light of what's happened recently -- but it isn't just the Rolling Stone piece; it was -- would just reaffirm what the secretary said. It's something he and I have been talking about for longer than that, the need to, in fact, ensure that we're coordinated, synchronized, and that -- and that we do tell our story. In my engagement with the military since the Rolling Stone article, it's important that, one, we don't see the press as the enemy, and I've said that; two, that we don't overreact here; and, three, that we do tell our story. And so it's -- and it is a -- it is a challenge today because of the 24-hour news cycle, because of the pace. We understand that -- and that in engaging the press and the media we have to do it from the position in which we're qualified to do that, very specifically.
QUESTION: Admiral Mullen, don't mean to take too much time, but 'any engagement' -- are you in fact saying that a trooper in the field, before he e-mails, has a telephone conversation, posts something on his Facebook page, Twitters, has any public engagement with the media, it must be cleared by this building?
ADM. MULLEN: If I were to use the trooper in the field -- who is very specifically, let's say, with an embed -- I think the rules with respect to that embed should be understood going in, and then just follow those rules very specifically, as an example... |
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Name(s:) |
Mike Mullen |
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Title: |
Chair |
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Agency(ies): |
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Archive: |
Archive Link
http://archive.is/oXN5a |
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Title: |
Subject: Interaction with the Media |
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Author: |
Robert Gates |
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Title: |
Secretary of Defense |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Department of Defense |
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Audience: |
Deputy Secretary of Defense, Secretaries of the Military Departments, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Under Secretaries of Defense, Commanders of the Combatant Commands, Assistant Secretaries of Defense, General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense Director, Administration and Management |
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Title: |
Defense Department Media Access policy |
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Author: |
Robert Gates, Mike Mullen |
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Title: |
Secretary of Defense, Chair |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense |
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