The United States government has a serious problem with leaks about American intelligence in Ukraine. Three intelligence community officials discussed reports that found Russian President Vladimir Putin underwent advanced cancer treatments in April and survived an assassination attempt in March. This is the second major announcement coming from the intelligence community in a span of 24 hours.
Gen. Paul Nakasone announced Wednesday that the U.S. military has been conducting cyber operations in Ukraine. He serves as the head of U.S. Cyber Command, as well as the director of the National Security Agency. “We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations,” Nakasone said in Tallinn, Estonia.
Recent statements by the federal government and the armed services have crossed the line. Our leaders are now openly bragging about cyberattacks against Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russian cyberattacks could trigger Article 5, the alliance’s mutual defense clause. Yet the U.S. is flagrantly disregarding the chance for an escalation.
This is not the only time the U.S. government has announced its complicity in Ukrainian victories. Government officials announced that American intelligence was responsible for the sinking of the Russian flagship Moskva. The fault here is not the decision to provide intelligence but for officials to announce their complicity in the event. These efforts should continue secretly, and the military should not go out of its way to announce its involvement in specific victories.
To the credit of the government, officials are partially aware of the danger that American involvement poses. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence operations assisted in the targeting of multiple Russian generals, but officials pushed back against the report. Destroying Russia’s ability to lead its armies is beneficial to the Ukrainian defense, but the officials made a mistake in initially announcing that its intelligence was crucial to assassinating Russian generals.
Our European allies and former intelligence officials are aware of the risks in announcing and leaking our intelligence activities to the public. “It’s stupid. I don’t think it is a carefully coordinated leak,” said one European official, according to the Guardian. Paul Pillar, a former CIA official, stated it is “unwise” for the U.S. to provide “official confirmation of the role of U.S. intelligence” in the sinking of the Moskva and the killing of Russian generals.
The news of Putin’s cancer diagnosis and the attempt on his life is the biggest development in Russia since the invasion began. Americans have only obtained this information because three government officials decided media reports were more important than maintaining the integrity of classified information.
Blowing the whistle on government overreach is a justified example of leaking information to the public because it is in their best interests. Jeopardizing U.S. intelligence operations by turning a classified report into headline-worthy news is not. If Putin did not know about American intelligence breaching his close inner circle, he most certainly does now.
Government officials have yet to lay out what benefits we receive from alerting the public about our actions in Ukraine, but we know that American intelligence is crucial to the Ukrainian military’s defense. U.S. agencies should continue their intelligence operations covertly and without issuing public statements. Both the U.S. and the defenders of Ukraine deserve an intelligence community that is focused less on headlines and more on making headway in the war.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
