The Pentagon police force has increased security measures to ensure that classified information is not extracted, including random checks when staff and guests leave.
The projections include uniformed officers checking bags.
The new measures come after Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira was arrested on charges of leaking a large quantity of classified military documents on an online forum.
A Pentagon spokesman said detection of people coming and going is not new, but confirmed that assessments have been improved in light of a memo from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the protection of classified information.
“The Pentagon Force Protection Agency routinely screens employees entering and leaving the Pentagon for prohibited items and to ensure that classified information is protected and handled in accordance with current security requirements. The PFPA has increased these controls and security measures in response to the immediate review of information security procedures led by Secretary of Defense Austin on April 17, 2023,» Department of Defense spokeswoman Sue Gough said. it’s a statement.
Individual US military bases have also stepped up security and searches for classified material since Teixeira’s arrest, authorities said, though such measures are left to the discretion of base commanders.
Teixeira, who had a top-secret security clearance, was part of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing and was stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base. He was arrested by the FBI at his home in April. He was charged under the Espionage Act and is being held without bail.