A Soldier's Perspective

When Leaks Aren't Leaks

I’m on the road again. I do a lot of travel to check on Soldiers and counsel with fellow NCOs. I just left Savannah, GA (sorry Paulette – I didn’t have time to call). While I’m on the road, I get the opportunity to listen to Andrea Shea-Kin, who has an internet radio show called Radio Patriot. The show ranges in topics, but frequently includes military-related topics. Last night, her guest was Dr. Jack Wheeler who recently passed along stinging information he had on Sen. John McCain from his time in Vietnam. Dr. Wheeler is a conservative, but I wanted to listen because after reading about his “find” I was a little frustrated that there was an attempt out there to discredit McCain’s very honorable military service. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the issue that got my gander up!

Dr. Wheeler talked about information he got from a man he would only identify as “T” (I pity the fool!). According to Wheeler, “T” passed information to him that McCain was in collusion with his Vietnamese captors. The notion that McCain worked willingly with the enemy is slanderous at best.

The problem I had was that the information was based on “classified” intelligence that the CIA had in its possession. Anyone who knows me or has read this blog from the beginning knows that I am a strong advocate for security. My number one rule for any writers or commenters here is that they don’t violate OPSEC. I find it abhorrent that our politicians think it okay to “leak” classified information to the press or other political figures in the interests of furthering their cause or discrediting another individual. Before I get too deep in the woods on this, I have to point out that I do not believe what Dr. Wheeler is saying. When he suggested that Bill Clinton was a CIA asset I realized that he was just another crazy loon. Additionally, he refused to reveal any iota of whom “T” really is or how he could possibly have gotten the information.

I’m sorry, but the simple truth is that the American people do NOT deserve to know EVERYTHING this country is doing to keep it safe. If we could trust everyone in this country to have our best interests at heart, 100% of the time, I could see how classifications of information wouldn’t be as necessary. That just isn’t the case. We have people in the country (Code Pink comes to mind) who seem to place the enemy’s best interests above our own. Imagine if they had access to some of the information to which our military and intelligence agencies have access. AQ would be killing us left and right. We’d already be an Islamic Nation!

The media in this country seem to find pleasure in their ability to find “sources close” to classified information that are more than willing to make people look bad. Usually, they do it to prove a point or attempt to influence change in policy or security. It doesn’t matter what the motivation, good or bad, divulging classified information is WRONG and ILLEGAL. Everyone should take the responsibility of being entrusted with classified information seriously.

No matter whom you are, if you come into contact with classified information, either accidentally or intentionally, it is your responsibility to protect that information to the greatest extent possible. A person finding a disk or document on the sidewalk or blown in a bush and stamped top and bottom with “CONFIDENTIAL” or “SECRET” or “TOP SECRET” are required to report that information to the nearest FBI or military intelligence unit. The same goes for unintentionally overheard classified discussions (which should never happen in public anyway). At the VERY least, you should keep it to yourself. It’s just basic American patriotism. And it protects our national interests. If you’re not interested in protecting our national interests, I hear there’s an open border down south that you’re free to cross any time!!

Instead, Mr. Wheeler went on the radio and decided to pass along information he KNEW to be classified in an effort to discredit John McCain as the Republican candidate for President. Make no mistake, I’m a huge McCain admirer for what he did while he was in the military, but I don’t support him as President. I’ve been pissed off at him for a few years because of some of the legislation he’s passed or tried to pass that affects me directly, but I’ll keep that to myself. There is no such thing as a “leak” when it comes to our nation’s secrets.

We are in a war where the enemy is very technologically savvy. They prowl the internet, the media, and listen intently to our politicians to gauge American willpower and policy. Thanks to all this open conversation about supposed “torture”, the enemy knows about our left and right limits as it relates to interrogation and questioning techniques. Thanks to unscrupulous journalists the enemy knows all our techniques, tactics and procedures. We expend more energy an money coming up with other ways to defeat the enemy and protect ourselves because we keep telling the enemy exactly what we’re going to do. They refocus their energies exploiting our weaknesses and we need to react and overcome that.

Intelligence gathering has been made more difficult as a result and Americans are more threatened as well. Our ability to protect this country is hindered with every public conversation based on classified information. AQ gets stronger and this nation weaker every time the media and politicians find it expedient and acceptable to share and spread classified information. It needs to be put to a stop. We need to prosecute, and prosecute with EXTREME prejudice, anyone found guilty of “leaking” – really called compromising – classified information. It is not their responsibility or right to decide what they can and cannot release to uncleared entities. We have FOIA requests and declassification authorities that make those decisions. I’m sick of it and it needs to stop.

What have all the leaks proven? What was their purpose? To strengthen the country’s national security, support the war effort, and bring the United States to a successful conclusion of a long, hard Iraq campaign? No. The purpose has been singular in nature – to bring down President Bush, stigmatize military personnel as “cold-blooded killers” and bring the war to an expeditious and premature end. Again, even if the purpose were to strengthen the country’s national security, support the war effort and bring the United States to a successful conclusion of a long, hard Iraq campaign, that is no good reason to illegally disclose classified information.