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Although sharing opportunities may have pitfalls, such as the events leading to the WikiLeaks publication of classified material, Burgess said, the value of sharing information transcends the temporary damage it may cause. 'You can't let an event like that slow down what you know to be the goodness of what it is you're trying to do,' he said. 'While that happens, you need to fix what may have caused leaks like that and ensure you put safeguards in place that allow you to protect information. You can't let it detract you from what you're trying to do overall.' |
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Name(s:) |
Ronald Burgess |
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Title: |
Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency |
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Agency(ies): |
Defense Intelligence Agency |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Archive: |
Archive Link
http://archive.is/huVJA |
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The results of this damage review undercut the testimony of each of the representatives from the OCA for the charge documents in this case. Specifically, the damage assessments concluded that all the information allegedly leaked was either dated, represented low-level opinions, or was commonly understood and known due to previous public disclosures. |
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Name(s:) |
David Coombs |
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Title: |
civilian defense counsel |
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Url: |
Url Link
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XXXXXXXXXX [ROBERT GATES, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE] will testify that the Afghanistan and Iraq SIGACT releases did not reveal any sensitive intelligence sources or methods. He will also testify that the Department of Defense could not point to anyone in Afghanistan or Iraq harmed due to the documents released by WikiLeaks. He will testify that the Afghanistan and Iraq SIGACTs are simply ground-level field reports that document dated activities which do not disclose sensitive information or our sources and methods. XXXXXXXXXX [ROBERT GATES, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE] will also testify that the initial public descriptions of the harm to foreign policy due to the publication of diplomatic cables were 'fairly significantly overwrought.' He will also testify that although the disclosures were embarrassing and awkward, they did not represent significant consequences to foreign policy. Finally, XXXXXXXXXX [ROBERT GATES, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE] will testify that on 29 July 2010, he directed the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to lead a comprehensive review of the documents allegedly given to WikiLeaks and to coordinate under the Information Review Task Force (IRTF, formerly TF 725) to conduct a complete damage review. He will testify that the damage review confirmed that the alleged leaks represented a low to at best moderate risk to national security. Specifically, that all of the information allegedly leaked was either dated, represented low-level opinions, or was already commonly understood and know due to previous public disclosures. |
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Name(s:) |
David Coombs |
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Title: |
civilian defense counsel |
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Url: |
Url Link
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The Secretary also tasked the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to stand up an Information Review Task Force to assess, in concert with interagency participants, the substance of the data disclosed. |
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Name(s:) |
Teresa Takai, Thomas Ferguson |
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Title: |
Chief Information Officer, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence |
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Agency(ies): |
Department of Defense |
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Concerning: |
Defense Intelligence Agency Information Review Task Force, DIA, IRTF |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Although outsiders have not been allowed to inspect the 'war room' in suburban Virginia and see its staff at work, national-security officials offered details of the operation to The Daily Beast, including the identity of the counterintelligence expert who has been put in charge: Brig. General Robert A. Carr of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
[...]
Officials say Carr, handpicked for the assignment by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is highly respected among his colleagues at DIA...
[...]
Carr served in Afghanistan for much of last year before his transfer to the DIA in Washington, where he runs the Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center. In his battle against Assange, officials say, Carr's central assignment is to try to determine exactly what classified information might have been leaked to WikiLeaks, and then to predict whether its disclosure could endanger American troops in the battlefield, as well as what larger risk it might pose to American foreign policy.
The team has another distinct responsibility: to gather evidence about the workings of WikiLeaks that might someday be used by the Justice Department to prosecute Assange and others on espionage charges.
[...]
Lapan said that, so far, the Pentagon has no evidence to suggest that any Afghan civilians have been harmed by the Taliban as a result of the release of the 76,000 logs this summera bit of good news that, he suggested, might be attributed to the efforts of Carr's team and Central Command to try to protect them. |
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Name(s:) |
Philip Shedon |
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Title: |
Journalist |
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Agency(ies): |
Daily Beast |
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Concerning: |
Defense Intelligence Agency, Information Review Task Force, DIA, IRTF |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Marine Colonel David Lapan, a senior Pentagon spokesman, said the leaders of the task force believed they had a strong sense of what is contained in the 15,000 documents that Assange is threatening to release shortly.
'We believe we probably know what's in those,' he said. 'And we believe, again, that they will pose some risk to our forces in Afghanistan and to others.'
[...]
'It was their task to go through that initial release of the 76,000 documents and determine what information in each of them might put either livesor sources and methods, or operational securityat risk,' Lapan said of Carr's operation.
The team's assessments, he said, are passed to the United States Central Command, the military command that oversees American troops in Afghanistan, 'so they can get it out to folks in the field to take whatever steps are necessary' to protect American troops and Afghan civilians whose identities are revealed by the logs. |
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Name(s:) |
Dave Lapan |
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Title: |
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Media Operations |
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Agency(ies): |
Department of Defense |
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Concerning: |
Defense Intelligence Agency Information Review Task Force, DIA, IRTF |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Title: |
DOD News Briefing with Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen from the Pentagon (November 30, 2010) |
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Author: |
Public Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Public Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense |
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Archive Link |
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After consulting with the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I have directed a thorough investigation to determine the scope of any unauthorized release of classified information and identify the person or persons responsible. I have also established an interagency Information Review Task Force, led by the Defense Intelligence Agency, to assess the content of any compromised information and the impact of such a compromise. Our initial review indicates most of the information contained in these documents relates to tactical military operations. The initial assessment in no way discounts the risk to national security; however, the review to date has not revealed any sensitive intelligence source and methods comprised by this disclosure.
The documents do contain the names of cooperative Afghan national and the Department takes very seriously the Taliban threats recently discussed in the press. We access the risk as likely to cause significant harm or damage to the national security interest of the United States and are examining mitigation options. We are working closely with our allies to determine what risks out mission partners may face as a result of the disclosure. There is a possibility that additional military documents may be published by WikiLeaks and the Department is developing courses of action to address this possibility.
The scope of the assessment and nature of the investigative process requires a great deal of time and effort. I am committed to investigating this matter and determining appropriate action to reduce the risk of any such compromises in the future. We will keep you informed as additional information becomes available. |
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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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Concerning: |
Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, Information Review Task Force, IRTF |
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Url: |
Url Link
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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: |
United States Senator Carl Levin |
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The spectrum of threats includes espionage, cyber intrusions, organized crime and the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified US Government information, a notable recent example being the unlawful release of classified US documents by WikiLeaks. While the impacts of the WikiLeaks disclosures are still being assessed, we are moving aggressively to respond by protecting our information networks with improved CI analysis of audit and access controls, improving our ability to detect and respond to insider threats - while balancing the need to share information - and increase awareness across the US Government to the persistent and wide-ranging nature of foreign intelligence threats. |
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Name(s:) |
James Clapper |
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Title: |
Director of National Intelligence |
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Agency(ies): |
Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ODNI |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Senator MCCAIN [...] How serious is the damage to your capability to carrying out
your responsibilities was the WikiLeaks situation?
Mr. CLAPPER. Well, from my standpoint, it was quite damaging
because of the chilling effect it has on people who are willing to be
recruited and to provide information to us. And so, that's
Senator MCCAIN. So, it was a lot more than just embarrassing
to diplomats who
Mr. CLAPPER. Yes, sir.
Senator MCCAINwere candid in their assessments?
Mr. CLAPPER. And bear in mind, there are some potentially
700,000 documents out, that are out there, and there have only
been about 5,000 publicly revealed, so this could go on for quite
some time as these revelations are stretched out.
Senator MCCAIN. And it literally puts people's lives in danger
who were cooperating with us, whose names, identities may be revealed in these leaks, is that correct?
Mr. CLAPPER. That's possible. But I, frankly, am more concerned
about the ones we don't, we won't get in the future, that we can't
count, who won't engage with us because of fear of revelation.
Senator MCCAIN. I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I bring that up because I'm intrigued by this debate that seems to go on that, well,
it's, we needed to know what our diplomats were saying to each
other, and we needed these candidthat's not what this is all
about is it?
Mr. CLAPPER. Well, the embarrassment factor, it makes for juicy
headlines and all that sort of thing. But that's not really what the
serious impact is. And of course, this wholeI should, not to dismiss that. That also is a negative effect of, the candor involved in
diplomatic discourse, diplomatic exchanges, I think will be affected.
I think, so farand certainly the dialogue I've had with foreign
interlocutors, while they're not happy about it, I think they see
that there is a larger interest here in a continued relationship with
the United Statesbut from an intelligence perspective, there's
been some damage. |
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Name(s:) |
James Clapper |
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Title: |
Director of National Intelligence |
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Agency(ies): |
Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ODNI |
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Url: |
Url Link
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Title: |
Congressional Record |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
United States Government Printing Office |
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Title: |
Statement for the Record on the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Communities for the Senate Committee on Armed Services |
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Author: |
James Clapper |
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Title: |
Director of National Intelligence |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Office of the Director of National Intelligence |
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Title: |
World Wide Threat Assessment: Statement before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, 10 March 2011 |
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Classification: |
Unclassified |
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Author: |
Ronald Burgess |
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Title: |
Director |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, Department of Defense |
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Title: |
United States Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing Webcast |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
United States Senate Armed Services Committee |
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Title: |
Intelligence Chiefs Cite Greatest Security Threats |
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Author: |
Terri Moon Cronk |
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Authoring or Creator Agency: |
American Forces Press Service, Department of Defense |
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Archive Link |
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Change Imperatives
The Guiding Principles define broad, enduring, aims that guide DS as it fulfills its mission. The Change Imperatives are derived from the Guiding Principles and drive DS' strategic goals. Recent events as outlined below illustrate even further the necessity for change.
In 2010, an Army soldier allegedly leaked classified information to the organization Wikileaks, which then used IT tools to release thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents through the web. The information compromise and the global disclosure of sensitive information potentially endangers U.S. troops and damages U.S. diplomatic relationship. |
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Agency(ies): |
Defense Intelligence Agency |
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Url: |
Url Link
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