WikiLeaks Release of Classified Documents Endangers American Troops in Afghanistan

Thriller writer Tom Clancy once told a reporter that if someone tried to give him classified information, he'd call the FBI. Unfortunately, few writers, journalists and political activists share this view.
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As a writer who covers crime, espionage and terrorism, I'm in contact with many former and current military, intelligence, security and law enforcement officers. Like Tom Clancy, I would never accept classified information.
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Having spent more than 37 years doing security work for the U.S. Navy and the Defense Department - man and boy, sailor and civilian - I know that the release of classified information endangers American troops, government civilian officials and citizens
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The exposure of classified information often fuels dangerous criminals and terrorists who wish to do us harm.
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I believe the recent release of classified documents by WikiLeaks will do harm to our troops serving bravely in Afghanistan.
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I'd like to see the U.S. soldier or official responsible for the leaks shot, just as I believe John Walker and other American spies and traitors ought to be executed.
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Below is a link to a FoxNews piece on The Times of London report that the names of many Afghans who provided intelligence to American forces were exposed in the released classified documents.
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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/27/leaked-afghan-war-files-expose-identities-informants/
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For more information on the leaks, below are two pieces from the American Forces Press Service.
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Pentagon Launches Probe into Document Leaks

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By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, American Forces Press Service

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WASHINGTON, July 27, 2010 - The Pentagon has launched an investigation to find out how thousands of classified military documents were leaked to the group WikiLeaks.org, a Defense Department spokesman said.

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The Army's Criminal Investigation Division, also known as CID, is heading the investigation, Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan told Pentagon reporters today.

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"An investigation has been initiated and Army CID has the lead," Lapan said.

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Having the Army take charge of the investigation doesn't suggest that Army personnel are responsible for the leaks, Lapan explained. CID was chosen for its capabilities in such matters, he said.

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"CID is an investigative agency that has the ability, the capability, to do these types of things," Lapan said. "There are a number of investigative agencies within the Pentagon, but the decision was made that Army CID takes the lead."

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Army CID, he said, also is investigating the case of Army Spc. Bradley Manning (seen in the above photo), who has been charged with leaking a video of a U.S. helicopter attack in Iraq to WikiLeaks. The document leaks investigation is a continuation or extension of the existing open investigation on Manning, Lapan said.

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However, he added, the document leak investigation is "broader" than the Manning case.

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"The current investigation into the leak of the documents to WikiLeaks isn't focused on any one, specific individual," Lapan said. "It's much broader. They're going to look everywhere to determine what the source may be."

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In an interview broadcast today on a segment of MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown" television news show, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell (seen in the below photo) said that Manning "is a person of interest with regards to this leak, but we just don't know at this point."

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Morrell said the question was posed to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recently about changing the way the Pentagon shares information with uniformed members. Gates, he said, doesn't believe that that sort of adjustment is necessary.

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"What makes our military the envy of the world is that we entrust the most-junior officers, the most-junior enlisted with incredible amounts of responsibility," Morrell said. "Gates doesn't want to alter that dynamic, that trust element that exists because of one or two 'bad seeds.'"

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The answer, Morrell said, is "to go after the 'bad actors,' hold them responsible, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, but don't change the fundamental trusting relationship that makes the military so effective."

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The documents, reportedly given to several U.S. and international media weeks ago, are said to detail field reports from Afghanistan, as well as alleged Pakistani partnership with the Taliban. The more than 90,000 documents cover the period from January 2004 through December 2009, according to news reports.

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Morrell refuted questions about Pakistan being a questionable ally, saying Pakistan is a sovereign nation with its own interests. The U.S. military is thankful, he said, that Pakistan's interest in eliminating terrorists coincides with that of the United States.

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"We are aligned in that respect," Morrell said of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. "But we each have our own interests here that we have to balance and work through. We think we're making a lot of progress there, but we're not alone in the driver's seat.

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"As Secretary Gates says, we're in the passenger seat. They're at the wheel," Morrell continued. "They determine the direction and the pace, but we're going to be their partner in this effort."

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On questions regarding the documents' outlining of miscues in Afghanistan, Morrell said the United States effort there is long term and moving in the right direction. Although civilian casualties there are a concern, he said, the numbers are down by a third this year, while the civilian casualties taken at the hands of the Taliban has nearly doubled.

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Morrell noted "rules of engagement" changes U.S. and international forces made a year ago when former commander of forces in Afghanistan Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal took the helm.

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"General McChrystal, when he came in, instituted this tactical directive which has seen civilian casualties, due to our forces and coalition forces [efforts], plummet by a third this year," Morrell said. Meanwhile, he said, Afghan civilian casualties caused by the Taliban casualties are up by about 90 percent.

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Turning back to the WikiLeaks situation, Morrell noted that the Pentagon's investigation of the leaked documents continues.

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"To the issue of whether it's damaged operational security or endangered our forces, we're still trying to get our arms around that," he said. "We've got a team working around the clock going through them bit by bit to try to see is there any information in there that could imperil our forces, our coalition partners, the civilians who are on the battlefield with us.

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"And are there any things in there that could jeopardize our operations or our nation's security?" he continued. "We just don't know at this point."

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Chairman Appalled by Wikileaks Release

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By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

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ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT, July 27, 2010 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he is "appalled" by the breach of security represented by the Wikileaks case.

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Navy Admiral Mike Mullen (seen in the above photo) told reporters traveling with him that the leaks could put American service members at risk. Investigators are still sifting through some 90,000 classified documents to determine the exact harm that the release could bring, he said.

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The chairman said the information is older – from 2004 to 2009 – and this may mitigate the situation to an extent. Many of the documents are field reports covering the situation in Pakistan.

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"From the time I've been chairman I've been very clear about the need to improve the relationship with Pakistan, re-establish the trust that was broken in the 1990s," he said. "In the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, none of us have been anything but very forthcoming on the criticality of Pakistan. We can't get at the safe havens that we know exist in Pakistan without their cooperation."

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The chairman is very concerned about the release of these documents. "Releasing classified documents could put in jeopardy American lives," he said.

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"We're going through a review to see in fact if that release has done that. But in my experience with troops from conventional to special forces, I think sometimes people don't appreciate what information could be out there that makes their jobs a lot more difficult and in fact, could jeopardize their lives."

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"I feel very strongly to do all we can to make sure leaks like this don't occur in the future," he continued.

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Mullen spoke to the reporters aboard an Air Force C-17 transport following meeting in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar, Afghanistan. Previously the chairman had visited Islamabad, Pakistan; New Delhi, India and Seoul, South Korea

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