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☆ F-16s are no 'wonder weapon,' but they could deal serious damage to Russian forces in Ukraine with the right missiles, former US Navy pilot says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

After months of asking, Ukraine finally got the West to shift its stance on outfitting its air force with F-16s. But the fourth-gen fighter jets won't necessarily be a game-changer or give Ukraine air superiority. But the right weapon systems may allow F-16s "to strike targets that Ukraine might not otherwise be able to hit." "The decision to give Ukraine F-16s is not about helping it survive the next phase of the war, but helping it ensure its sovereignty in the long term." Two US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons US Air Force photo by Tech.

Persons: —, Biden, David Kujawa, Pat Ryder, Ryder, Tannehill, Charles Vaughn, Kevin Gruenwald, Matthew Lotz, JASSMs Organizations: US Navy, Service, RAND Corporation, US Air Force, Alpena Combat Readiness, Center, Pentagon Press, Air Force, RAND, AIM, Alabama Air National Guard, Air, Controller, Mirgorod Air Base, Tech, Incirlik Air Base, Staff of, Armed Forces, Fighting Falcons US Air Force, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Michigan, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Ukrainian, California, Kyiv, Turkey, Russian, Crimea

☆ Airman Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges in Leaks Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Beth Treffeisen | Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of secret documents to an online chat group, pleaded not guilty to six counts of federal criminal charges on Wednesday, two months after his arrest. Airman Teixeira, appearing in an orange prison uniform and fresh buzz cut, sat quietly as a federal magistrate judge read him his rights before standing to say, “Not guilty, your honor,” during a 10-minute hearing in Worcester, Mass., attended by his family and dozens of media outlets. His lawyer asked the judge, David H. Hennessy, to reconsider an earlier decision to hold Airman Teixeira without bail indefinitely. His next court date, a conference to discuss the status of the case, was scheduled for early August. The next important legal benchmark will be the selection of a trial judge, who will set a trial timetable — if the two sides do not reach a plea agreement first, as has often happened in recent cases involving the illegal disclosure of government documents.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Teixeira, “, David H, Hennessy Organizations: National, Justice Department Locations: Worcester

☆ Titan submersible: Search crews heard banging sounds while scouring the Atlantic for manned craft now running out of oxygen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Ray Sanchez Priscilla Alvarez | Nouran Salahieh | Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The banging on Tuesday first came every 30 minutes and was heard again four hours later, according to an internal government memo update on the search. The search for the missing submersible Titan has broadened to an area about two times the size of Connecticut. It was unclear when exactly the banging was heard Tuesday or how long it lasted, based on the memo. We have to keep working until we find the submersible,” Joyce Murray, minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, told reporters Wednesday. If the submersible is intact, the passengers would be dealing with dwindling oxygen levels and fighting cold, he told CNN.

Persons: Jamie Frederick, ”, Frederick, Stone, ” Joyce Murray, “, Ray Scott “ Chip ” McCord, ” Scott, David Hiscock, we’ve, John Mauger, ” Carl Hartsfield, John Cabot –, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Sulaiman Dawood, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, ” David Gallo, John’s, Gallo, ” Gallo, Joe MacInnis, who’s, Frederick didn’t, Mauger, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate, Oceangate, ” OceanGate, Suleman Dawood, Stockton Rush, J, Van Gurley, Gabe Cohen, ” Cohen, Aaron Newman, ” John “ Danny ” Olivas, ” Olivas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Fisheries, Canadian Coast Guard, OceanGate Expeditions, Canadian Armed Forces, New York Air National Guard, U.S . Air Force, “ CBS, Naval, Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, USCG, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Stockton Rush, Strategic Initiatives, Daylight, Horizon Services, US Navy, Facebook, OceanGate, Titan, Manned, Vehicles, Marine Technology Society, New York Times, Times, Stockton, Polar Prince, Navy, KOMO, CBS Locations: Connecticut, Canadian, Everest, NewfoundlandSaturday, Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, Rush, Titan

☆ Pentagon leaks suspect Jack Teixeira pleads not guilty to federal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Worcester, Massachusetts CNN —Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents on social media, pleaded not guilty in a Massachusetts court Wednesday to six federal charges. Teixeira, 21, was indicted earlier this month on several counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. The Massachusetts native stands accused of sharing classified military documents on the social media platform Discord. The documents included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including the state of the war in Ukraine. Teixeira held a top-secret security clearance, and internal Air Force memos that prosecutors highlighted in court revealed that his superiors repeatedly warned him about inappropriately accessing classified intelligence.

Persons: Massachusetts CNN — Jack Teixeira, Teixeira, Texeira, “, Jack, Jen Reed, ” Organizations: Massachusetts CNN, Air National, Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, Air Force Locations: Worcester, Massachusetts, Ukraine

Teixeira has been held in federal prison in Plymouth County, south of Boston, while waiting trial. Prosecutors say Teixeira leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord. The leaked documents on Discord held highly classified information on allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukraine's air defenses to Israel's Mossad spy agency. President Joe Biden has ordered an investigation into why the alleged leaker had access to the sensitive information. Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Kanishka Singh; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jack Douglas Teixeira, Teixeira, Teixeira's, Jack, Joe Biden, leaker, Rami Ayyub, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis, Alistair Bell Organizations: An Air National, Prosecutors, WikiLeaks, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Worcester , Massachusetts, Ukraine, Plymouth County, Boston

Hunter Biden arrives at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base after disembarking from Air Force One with his father, U.S. President Joe Biden, in Syracuse, New York, Feb. 4, 2023. Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor crimes of willfully failing to pay federal income taxes, a court filing Tuesday revealed. The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere 'traffic ticket,'" Trump wrote. Trump later wrote on Truth Social: "People are going wild over the Hunter Biden Scam with the DOJ!" "These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on the Oversight Committee's investigation.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Chris Clark, Hunter's, Delaware David Weiss, Weiss, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Hunter —, Hunter, Ian Sams, Merrick Garland, Clark, Trump, James Comer, Biden, Biden's, Comer Organizations: Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Air Force, CNBC, NBC, U.S, Attorney, Prosecutors, Department, Justice, United States Attorney's Office, District of, Government, White, Biden DOJ, Hunter, DOJ, Kentucky Republican Locations: Syracuse , New York, U.S, Delaware, Malibu , California, District of Delaware

☆ The US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10. Now it plans to get rid of some the specially trained airmen who guide the Warthog to its targets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Air Force has begun retiring the A-10, an aircraft famed for its role in close air support. Indeed, the US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft, which a top official has said "doesn't scare" China. According to Pentagon's budget request for 2024, the Air Force is looking to cut its TACP force by more than 40% over the next three years. If the plan goes ahead, the Air Force TACP community will have a little over 2,100 positions for officers, enlisted troops, and civilian personnel in 2025, down from the 3,700 slots it has currently, a spokesman told Air Force Times. "I think the military is getting ready for a war where we won't have air dominance," a former Air Force Combat Controller told Insider.

Persons: —, Tyler, Mercedee Wilds, Ryan Conroy, Michael Holzworth, Col, Nathan Colunga, Colunga, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Air Force, Tactical Air Control Party, Service, China, US Air National Guard, Staff, Tyler Woodward Tactical Air Control Party, US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Air Force Times, Air, National Guard, Air Combat Command, Air Force Combat, Combat, Air Commando, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, Navy, Army Green Berets, Marine Raiders, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Special, Squadron, Tech, Warfare, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Estonian, Kansas, Fort Irwin, California, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Estonia, Nevada, Johns

☆ Airman Who Leaked Files Is Indicted on Charges of Mishandling Secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who posted dozens of secret intelligence reports and other sensitive documents on a social media server, on six counts of retaining and transmitting classified national defense information. The filing of criminal charges in Boston federal court against Airman Teixeira, 21, comes about two months after F.B.I. But it was not immediately clear how many of the vaguely described incidents that underlie the charges had been previously disclosed and which ones were being made public for the first time. Airman Teixeira’s disclosures — exposing secrets of the United States, its allies and its adversaries — have bared rifts between the United States and its allies and given Russia information about intelligence-gathering methods, as news organizations have divulged some of the material. And Justice Department lawyers have said the extent of the information he leaked “far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed.”

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Teixeira, —, ” Organizations: Massachusetts Air National, Department Locations: Boston, North Dighton, United States, Russia

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - A federal grand jury has indicted a U.S. Air National Guardsman accused of leaking top-secret military intelligence records online, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday. Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relating to national defense, the statement said. He was arrested in April after allegedly posting highly classified material on the messaging app Discord, prompting concerns about how a low-level airman could have such broad access to military secrets. The leaked documents held highly classified information on allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukraine's air defenses during the Russian invasion to Israel's Mossad spy agency. A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, Teixeira had earlier waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Persons: Jack Douglas Teixeira, Teixeira, Joe Biden, leaker, Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, Kanishka Singh, Sarah N, Lynch, Rami Ayyub, Susan Heavey, Paul Grant, Eric Beech Organizations: U.S . Air National, Justice Department, WikiLeaks, Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence, Thomson Locations: North Dighton , Massachusetts

☆ Jack Teixeira: Federal grand jury indicts accused Pentagon leaker on six counts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Teixeira, a junior enlisted airman who worked within the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, was arrested in April and charged under the Espionage Act. He allegedly took classified information from Otis Air National Guard Base and is accused of posting the information to Discord, a popular social media platform among gamers. This artist depiction shows Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appearing in U.S. District Court in Boston, April 14, 2023. Defense lawyers for Teixeira have argued he didn’t expect classified information that he posted on Discord to be further spread around the internet. Prosecutors, his lawyers had previously argued, were being “hyperbolic” in their assessment of whether he could risk further compromising classified information.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, “ Teixeira, Margaret Small, Teixeira, “, David Hennessy, I’m, ‘, ’ Organizations: CNN, The Air National, Justice Department, Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence, Otis Air National Guard Base, National, Ukrainian, Prosecutors, Air Force Locations: States, U.S, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

☆ NATO 'Air Defender 2023': Hundreds of warplanes fly over Germany in alliance's largest-ever aerial drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

An F-16 fighter airplane takes off from the Schleswig-Jagel Air Base in Jagel, Germany, on June 12 during the Air Defender 2023 exercise. “Air Defender is necessary because we live in a more dangerous world. Two US Air Force A10 fighter jets taxi onto the runway ahead of Air Defender 2023. Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and former Royal Australian Air Force officer, said Air Defender 2023 should give Russian military planners a lot to think about. Similar planes are taking part in Air Defender 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Oleksandr Vilkul, Andriy Dubchak, Gregor Fischer, Oana Lungescu, “, Putin, Amy Gutmann, Ingo Gerhartz, CNN’s Nic Robertson, Formidable ‘ hodge, Karl, Josef Hildenbrand, ”, Brynn Tannehill, it’s, Adam Casey, Tannehill, Peter Layton, Harald Tittel, ” Layton, ” Tannehill Organizations: CNN, NATO, Air, Russian, Russia, Operational Command, Alliance, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jagel, Base, AP NATO, “, ” United, Russia –, Latvia –, German Tornadoes, US Air Force, RAND Corp, US Navy, Aviators, Griffith Asia Institute, Royal Australian Air Force, US, Air National Guard, National Guard, Air Force Locations: Germany, German, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kryvyi, Black, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, Schleswig, Jagel, ” United States, Russia – Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, US, Finnish, Spangdahlem, NATO

☆ Facing its 'biggest security crisis' in years, NATO has kicked off its largest ever air drill with hundreds of aircraft to send a 'clear message'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NATO's biggest ever air exercise is happening in Germany. Around 10,000 personnel and 250 aircraft, including about 100 from the US, are in Germany for the alliance's two-week Air Defender exercise. "Air Defender sends a clear message that NATO is ready to defend every inch of Allied territory," said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu in a statement Monday. "Air Defender is necessary because we live in a more dangerous world" and the NATO alliance is facing "the biggest security crisis in a generation." As for the NATO air exercise, the drill will focus on protecting NATO cities and critical infrastructure, which Russia has attacked repeatedly throughout the war in Ukraine, from aircraft, drones, and missile attacks.

Persons: isn't, Putin, —, Oana, Amy Gutmann, Nathan, Ingo Gerhartz Organizations: NATO's, Service, NATO, Air, Air Force, Thunderbolt, 127th Wing, Michigan National Guard, Jagel Air Base, Air National Guard, Nathan Wingate German Air Force, The New York Times Locations: Germany, Ukraine, Japan, Crimea, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine's

☆ Why Doesn’t Anyone Care About the Discord Leaks? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In April, secret documents allegedly photographed by a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard began making their way into the mainstream media. Many were briefings prepared by military intelligence services, and much of it dealt with the Russia-Ukraine war. They offered Americans a rare window into the government’s most valuable intelligence on one of Europe’s deadliest conflicts since World War II. The Pentagon did say that the latest disclosures — widely known as the “Discord Leaks” — present a “very serious risk to national security.” But there has been curiously little public interest in the spilled secrets. Reaction to the indictment of Donald Trump has followed a similar pattern, though the case revolves around a former president’s handling of classified files, not leaked secrets.

Persons: We’ve, Hillary Clinton, Edward Snowden, Barack Obama, Jack Teixeira, Donald Trump Organizations: Massachusetts Air National Guard, WikiLeaks, Army, National Security Agency, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States

☆ US received intel from European ally that Ukrainian military was planning attack on Nord Stream pipelines, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US received intelligence from a European ally last year that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were hit, three US officials told CNN. The attack on the pipelines last September has been condemned by US officials and Western allies alike as a sabotage on critical infrastructure. CNN has not seen the document but the three officials confirmed the US was told about the Ukrainian plans. But, the intelligence also said that Ukraine’s military operation was “put on hold.”CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian government for comment. “I think you know there are three countries conducting an investigation of the Nord Stream sabotage — and we called it sabotage at the moment — Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, “, Valerii, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Magdalena Andersson, ’ ” Mykhailo Podolyak, CIA “ Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Air National, Washington Post, ” CNN, White, National Security, European Union, Twitter, Russia, Post, CIA Locations: Western, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Nord, Russia, Baltic, Europe, Swedish, Danish, Ukrainian

☆ CIA was warned of a high-level Ukrainian plot to sabotage Nord Stream pipeline months before it was attacked: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The CIA received intelligence on Ukrainian plans to attack Nord Stream months before the pipeline was sabotaged. Details about the planning was included in intelligence leaked online and obtained by The Washington Post. In the wake of the blasts that severely damaged the Nord Stream pipeline, President Joe Biden declared the incident a "deliberate act of sabotage" and said the US and its partners were working to "get to the bottom" of what exactly happened. Though Kyiv is a suspect in the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline, Russia, which has blamed the West, has also been identified as a potential suspect with the means and some motives to conduct such an attack. A senior European diplomat told The Post that when European and NATO policymakers meet, the attitude among them is generally: "Don't talk about Nord Stream."

Persons: —, Valerii, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden Organizations: CIA, The Washington Post, Service, Washington Post, Air National Guard, Post, Ukraine's, New York Times, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Germany, Kyiv, Nord, Russian, Baltic, European

☆ US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipeline - Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The United States had intelligence of a detailed Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream pipeline three months before it was bombed, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing leaked information posted online. The Washington Post said it got a copy from one of Teixeira's online friends. The specific details included numbers of operatives and methods of attack, according to the Washington Post. Reuters could not immediately confirm the intelligence cited by the Washington Post. Several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Moscow, Kanishka Singh, Rami Ayyub, Doina Chiacu, Jon Boyle Organizations: United, Washington Post, CIA, Air National Guard, NATO, Thomson Locations: United States, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Baltic, Sweden, Denmark, Washington

☆ NORAD scrambled an F-16 to intercept an apparently wayward civilian business jet that flew over DC and later crashed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The military jet caused a sonic boom while pursuing the small plane, which later crashed. It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed, or who was on board. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom across the capital region. A US official confirmed to The Associated Press the military jet had scrambled to respond to the small plane, which later crashed. The North American Aerospace Defense Command later said the F-16 was authorized to travel at supersonic speeds, which caused a sonic boom.

Persons: —, Long, Barbara Rumpel, Joe Biden, Joint Base Andrews, Anthony Guglielmi, Biden Organizations: Encore Motors, Melbourne Inc, Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna, Long Island's MacArthur, Associated Press, North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, Joint Base, US, White, DOD, Pentagon, DC Air National Guard Locations: Virginia, Elizabethtown , Tennessee, New, Long, Montebello , Virginia, St, Mary's, Melbourne , Florida, Maryland

☆ US military leak suspect got offer to bolster intelligence skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

As a low-level airman, Teixeira had broad access to military secrets at the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing. He received a warning, and was admonished again a month later after asking detailed questions at a briefing, according to the Justice Department. Attorneys with the Justice Department argue that Teixeira cannot be trusted to live at home with his father. Even after his warnings last year, Teixeira bragged online in early January that he had broad access to top secret information. “I have stuff for Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran and China,” Teixeira said on social media, according to prosecutors.

WORCESTER, May 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets to remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges he violated the Espionage Act. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy made the decision after lawyers for Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, asked for him to be released to house arrest pending trial. Teixeira leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord, according to prosecutors. While a low-level airman, Teixeira had broad access to military secrets at the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, according to U.S. Justice Department lawyers. “I have stuff for Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran and China,” Teixeira said on social media, according to prosecutors.

☆ Defense personnel alarmed after memos reveal Air Force leadership warned about accused Pentagon leaker but let him continue working
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Haley Britzky Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Teixeira was arrested on April 14 and has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. His defense lawyers have argued he didn’t expect classified information that he posted on Discord to be further spread around the internet. According to one current US service member who handles classified intelligence, the memos read as if Teixeira’s leadership was building a case for disciplinary action against him. Jobs under the 1N0 and 1N4 job codes would have given him more hands-on responsibilities with intelligence, the current service member and a former enlisted intelligence airman told CNN. But the current service member said it would not be unusual for senior non-commissioned officers to handle disciplinary matters with a junior enlisted airman like Teixeira.

☆ Kyiv is demanding F-16s and 2 Ukrainian pilots just proved they can master the jet 4 times faster than the Pentagon thought possible: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian pilots can master F-16 jets in four months, per an Air Force document obtained by Yahoo News. The internal assessment is likely to ratchet up pressure on Biden to send Ukraine the planes. Four experienced US air force instructors assessed the Ukrainian pilots and determined the pilots could perform several "relatively technical" maneuvers, including landing after losing an engine and withstanding mock attacks, Yahoo News reported, citing the assessment. The two men were already qualified to operate a MiG-29 and Su-27 respectively, both Soviet-era fighter jets that comprise the majority of Ukraine's remaining air force, according to the outlet. But the report published by Yahoo on Thursday deduces that four months is a "realistic training timeline" for Ukrainian pilots to undergo training on the aircraft.

☆ Extremism Finds Fertile Ground in Chat Rooms for Gamers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There are rules people must agree to before joining Unloved, a private discussion group on Discord, the messaging service popular among players of video games. They share some harmless memes but also joke about school shootings and debate the attractiveness of women of different races. Users in the group — known as a server on Discord — can enter smaller rooms for voice or text chats. The name for one of the rooms refers to rape. In the vast and growing world of gaming, views like these have become easy to come across, both within some games themselves and on social media services and other sites, like Discord and Steam, used by many gamers.

☆ Military Caught Airman Mishandling Secrets Before Arrest but Left Him in Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Glenn Thrush | Robin Stein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Air Force officials caught Airman Jack Teixeira taking notes and conducting deep-dive searches for classified material months before he was charged with leaking a vast trove of government secrets, but did not remove him from his job, according to a Justice Department filing on Wednesday. On two occasions in September and October 2022, Airman Teixeira’s superiors in the Massachusetts Air National Guard admonished him after reports that he had taken “concerning actions” while handling classified information. Those included stuffing a note into his pocket after reviewing secret information inside his unit, according to a court filing ahead of a hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Worcester, Mass., on Friday to determine whether he should be released on bail. Airman Teixeira — who until March shared secrets with scores of online friends from around the world on Discord, a social media platform popular with gamers — “was instructed to no longer take notes in any form on classified intelligence information,” lawyers with the department’s national security division wrote in an 11-page memo arguing for his indefinite detention. The airman’s superiors also ordered him to “cease and desist on any deep dives into classified intelligence information,” although it is not clear how, or if, they enforced that directive.

☆ Pentagon leak suspect was caught stuffing notes he'd taken in a top-secret room inside his pocket, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He was caught taking notes on classified information before his arrest, prosecutors said Wednesday. Superiors had warned Teixeira on multiple occasions, but he didn't listen, they said. The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman has been indicted in connection to a classified information leak that involved hundreds of Pentagon documents. Some of the documents Teixeira is accused of leaking online included details about Russia's spy agencies' activities and details about aid to Ukraine. However, federal prosecutors are arguing that Texeira poses a security risk because he must still be in possession of classified documents.

☆ Accused Leaker Received Repeated Warnings Over Handling of Classified Information, Prosecutors Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A courtroom sketch shows Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in U.S. District Court in Boston last month. Photo: Margaret Small/Associated PressNearly seven months before federal authorities charged an airman with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, members of his unit saw him take notes from classified information, access classified information not related to his job and repeatedly told him to stop, according to memos submitted as part of prosecutors’ latest court filings.

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