Trump’s Defense Secretary Accidentally Texted War Plans to The Atlantic: ‘I Didn’t Think It Could Be Real,’ Editor Says

[Pommer]

It has been that way a while now. The funny thing was Australian media covering battles involving Australian and US troops in Afghanistan:
Australian Journalist: Is the Oz DoD able to comment regarding the US DoD press release regarding Australian troops in combat?
Oz DoD: Not at this time.
Australian Journalist: Is the Oz DoD able to confirm the accuracy of the US DoD press release regarding Australian troops in combat?
Oz DoD: Not at this time.
Australian Journalist: Will the Oz DoD comment regarding Australian troops in combat at a future date?
Oz DoD: I am not able to confirm that.
The trifecta! :->

Thank you for this information, (since, as an American, I don’t keep up on international news apart from listening to the BBC Worldservice News Hour). Maybe twice a week.

So shaky ground is now quicksand?
I wonder if Xi or Vlad is more delighted?

 

[Pommer]

If you are discussing this matter with someone with great experience of how the military works in situations like this then, if I were you, I'd listen a lot more attentively.

This requires trust that the person conveying the information, is being truthful & honest.
I generally believe this about any of my fellow forum-mates.

Why would I do otherwise?

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

 

[RDKirk]

Yup, they are the highest level of government. They authorized it by being on it. It's no different than a boss deciding they want to do something. They can authorized themselves to do it. They are the boss. They are under no obligation to follow their predecessors memos.

LOL, no. It doesn't work that way. They are not the "highest level of government."

 

[Laodicean60]

Daisy posted this on a similar thread:

https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/Memo-UseOfUnclassMobileApps.pdf

MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS
DEFENSE AGENCY AND DOD FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS
SUBJECT: Use of Unclassified Mobile Applications in Department of Defense
...In accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.48, DoD personnel will not use non-DoD
accounts or personal e-mail accounts, messaging systems or other non-public DoD information
systems, except approved or authorized government contractor systems, to conduct official
business involving CUI. In accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.01, DoD personnel will not
use unclassified systems, government-issued or otherwise, for classified national security
information. DoD CIO will continuously consult with all DoD Components to evaluate risks
mobile applications may present to the DoD and update References (m), (n), and (o), as
appropriate.
Attachment 2; Pg 6; Item 4:
10) Unmanaged 'messaging apps,' including any app with a chat feature, regardless of the
primary function, are NOT authorized to access, transmit, process non-public DoD
information. This includes but is not limited to messaging, gaming, and social media
apps. (i.e., iMessage, WhatsApps, Signal). An Exception to Policy (E2P) request must be
submitted by the appropriate Component for use of an unmanaged messaging app that is
critical to fulfilling mission operations at https://rmfks.osd.mil/dode2p.

This was from Oct. 6, 2023. Emphasis added.

 

[Always in His Presence]

If you are discussing this matter with someone with great experience of how the military works in situations like this then, if I were you, I'd listen a lot more attentively.

If I was - I would.

 

[Always in His Presence]

If no one was fired or reprimanded for the Secretary of State handling top secret information on an unsecured server in her bathroom - there is little room for such constrenation over a text thread.

 

[rjs330]

LOL, no. It doesn't work that way. They are not the "highest level of government."

For these things they are. As long as there is no law passed by Congress rhat says they can't use signal ot whatever they can certainly authorized that because they are at higheat levels being the Directors of their departments. The president of course holds the power of the executive branch, but as they are head of their departments they hold the authority for those departments.

 

[rjs330]

Daisy posted this on a similar thread:

https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/Memo-UseOfUnclassMobileApps.pdf

MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS
DEFENSE AGENCY AND DOD FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS
SUBJECT: Use of Unclassified Mobile Applications in Department of Defense
...In accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.48, DoD personnel will not use non-DoD
accounts or personal e-mail accounts, messaging systems or other non-public DoD information
systems, except approved or authorized government contractor systems, to conduct official
business involving CUI. In accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.01, DoD personnel will not
use unclassified systems, government-issued or otherwise, for classified national security
information. DoD CIO will continuously consult with all DoD Components to evaluate risks
mobile applications may present to the DoD and update References (m), (n), and (o), as
appropriate.
Attachment 2; Pg 6; Item 4:
10) Unmanaged 'messaging apps,' including any app with a chat feature, regardless of the
primary function, are NOT authorized to access, transmit, process non-public DoD
information. This includes but is not limited to messaging, gaming, and social media
apps. (i.e., iMessage, WhatsApps, Signal). An Exception to Policy (E2P) request must be
submitted by the appropriate Component for use of an unmanaged messaging app that is
critical to fulfilling mission operations at https://rmfks.osd.mil/dode2p.

This was from Oct. 6, 2023. Emphasis added.

Yes it was a memo from 2023 written by someone who is no longer there or important. There are new people in charge and they are under no obligation to follow a memo written by someone from a past administration.

 

[Laodicean60]

Yes it was a memo from 2023 written by someone who is no longer there or important. There are new people in charge and they are under no obligation to follow a memo written by someone from a past administration.

If you can show me if the memo was retracted, I might buy into what the right-wingers are saying, but until then, it's policy, and everyone, especially Hegseath, should be on top of OPSEC. To me, there's no excuse.

 

[rjs330]

If no one was fired or reprimanded for the Secretary of State handling top secret information on an unsecured server in her bathroom - there is little room for such constrenation over a text thread.

Look if the worst thing that happened was a joutnalist found out we were killing terrorists then I dont see the end of the world here like the left wanta to see it and make it out to be.

Lesson learned. None of us would ever know about this if the journalist wasn't there. The terrorists didn't know and the Russins didn't know. Hopefully we will do better next time.

 

[Belk]

Look if the worst thing that happened was a joutnalist found out we were killing terrorists then I dont see the end of the world here like the left wanta to see it and make it out to be.

Lesson learned. None of us would ever know about this if the journalist wasn't there. The terrorists didn't know and the Russins didn't know. Hopefully we will do better next time.

If the lesson has been learned this would be less of an issue. I don't see the lesson being learned, I see a bunch of excuses being made.

 

[rjs330]

If the lesson has been learned this would be less of an issue. I don't see the lesson being leaned, I see a bunch of excuses being made.

Trump spoke on this and made his wishes known moving forward into the future.

Why on earth Biden took the Houthis off the terrorists list is beyond me. They have been shooting at out ships for a long time. He eventually put them back on. Trump and his team launches a successful attack which benefits the entire world, no Americans were killed and the big story is the fact that someone made a mistake and let a journalist into a talk he shouldn't have been in? The headlines ought to have been that we conducted a successful atrack on terrorists who have been shooting at American ships for a while now and forcing ships from all over the world to go around Africa, which costs everyone more money for their goods.

 

[Belk]

Trump spoke on this and made his wishes known moving forward into the future.

Why on earth Biden took the Houthis off the terrorists list is beyond me. They have been shooting at out ships for a long time. He eventually put them back on. Trump and his team launches a successful attack which benefits the entire world, no Americans were killed and the big story is the fact that someone made a mistake and let a journalist into a talk he shouldn't have been in? The headlines ought to have been that we conducted a successful atrack on terrorists who have been shooting at American ships for a while now and forcing ships from all over the world to go around Africa, which costs everyone more money for their goods.

Oh look, more excuses.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Trump spoke on this and made his wishes known moving forward into the future.

Why on earth Biden took the Houthis off the terrorists list is beyond me.

Biden wanted to try the carrot method and see if that would work. It didn't. Sometimes the stick is the best way.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Look if the worst thing that happened was a joutnalist found out we were killing terrorists then I dont see the end of the world here like the left wanta to see it and make it out to be.

Lesson learned. None of us would ever know about this if the journalist wasn't there. The terrorists didn't know and the Russins didn't know. Hopefully we will do better next time.

QFT - Well said and succinct

 

[NxNW]

I do not ever recall any case of anyone ever being formally found "100% innocent".

What percentage of crimes was she convicted of?

 

[NxNW]

The lack of the ability to empathize is what this is…Senior Officials who can’t figure out how how encryption works, leading to an assumption that nobody who how it works and we’re therefore “okay” if we use our personal phones.

A Republican Senator is on Meet the Press right now, blaming the whole thing on Biden.

 

[NxNW]

If no one was fired or reprimanded for the Secretary of State handling top secret information on an unsecured server in her bathroom - there is little room for such constrenation over a text thread.

Never happened. Trump was the one with classified information in his bathroom.

 

[Say it aint so]

Wow, people are still literally trying to defend this.