--- title: Teixeira's Intel Unit Halts Mission After Discord Leak description: Saga of the alleged 21-year-old leaker embroils Massachusetts Air National Guard unit canonical: https://time.com/6272814/teixeira-discord-leak-unit-halts-mission/ author: W.J. Hennigan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-04-19T00:56:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T15:45:14.796Z article:section: Politics og:title: Teixeira's Intel Unit Halts Mission After Discord Leak og:description: Saga of the alleged 21-year-old leaker embroils Massachusetts Air National Guard unit og:url: https://time.com/6272814/teixeira-discord-leak-unit-halts-mission/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4770107d7c2a0243/698a3c01b3fce379b00ca5d7/jack-teixeira-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1412 og:image:height: 794 og:image:alt: US-MILITARY-INTELLIGENCE-DOCUMENTS-LEAK-MEDIA og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Teixeira's Intel Unit Halts Mission After Discord Leak twitter:description: Saga of the alleged 21-year-old leaker embroils Massachusetts Air National Guard unit twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4770107d7c2a0243/698a3c01b3fce379b00ca5d7/jack-teixeira-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Teixeira's Intel Unit Ordered to Halt Mission After Discord Leaks > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Apr 19, 2023 12:56 AM UTC  This aerial footage courtesy of WBZ via CBS shows the suspect, national guardsman Jack Teixeira, being taken into custody by FBI agents in North Dighton, Mass. This aerial footage courtesy of WBZ via CBS shows the suspect, national guardsman Jack Teixeira, being taken into custody by FBI agents in North Dighton, Mass. WBZ/CBS/AFP/Getty Images  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Apr 19, 2023 12:56 AM UTC The U.S. Air Force says the intelligence unit at the center of one of the largest national security leaks in modern history has been ordered to halt its mission. Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Airman 1st Class serving in the 102nd Intelligence Wing with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was charged Friday with two counts related to retaining and distributing classified and national defense information after hundreds of pages of intelligence documents appeared online in recent months. Now the entire wing will stand down amid a comprehensive review of the military’s security programs, policies, and procedures, Air Force Spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement. **Read More**: [_The Mysteries of the Biggest Intel Leak in a Decade_.](https://time.com/6270306/leaked-pentagon-document-mystery/) “The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currently performing its assigned intelligence mission,” she said. “The mission has been temporarily reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force.” Teixeira is accused of showing off his access to classified intelligence on obscure video game chatroom servers on the Discord application to group members largely composed of teenagers. It remains unclear how Teixeira, a junior enlisted National Guard member, was able to take and distribute such sensitive classified material for such an extended amount of time. Teixeira worked as a cyber transport systems journeymen, which entails repairing communication systems, according to his military records released by the National Guard. Stefanek said “the Secretary of the Air Force directed the Department of the Air Force Inspector General to investigate overall compliance with policy, procedures, and standards, including the unit environment and compliance at the 102nd Intelligence Wing related to the release of national security information.” **Read More**: [_How Far-Right Personalities Cashed in on Gaming Platforms_.](https://time.com/5881595/right-wing-conspiracy-theorists-coronavirus/) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a top-to-bottom analysis of security protocols this week in response to the massive leak. The disclosures [triggered national embarrassment](https://time.com/6270306/leaked-pentagon-document-mystery/) and worldwide headlines after highly classified documents involving U.S. military and intelligence assessments sat on online for more than a month. The initial findings of the Pentagon review are due in 45 days. Austin was first briefed on the leaks on April 6, according to the Pentagon, the same day their existence was first reported by the New York _Times_ and a day after the documents began circulating on mainstream social platforms. The Pentagon referred the matter to the Justice Department, which opened a formal criminal probe last week. Defense and State Department officials are still assessing the damage that may have been wrought by the leak. Teixeira was stationed with the 102nd Intelligence Wing, headquartered at Otis Air National Guard Base located on Cape Cod. Since enlisting in September 2019, he has only received a single award, the Air Force Achievement Medal, in his more than three years in service. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6272814/teixeira-discord-leak-unit-halts-mission/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6272814/teixeira-discord-leak-unit-halts-mission/"},"headline":"Teixeira's Intel Unit Ordered to Halt Mission After Discord Leaks","datePublished":"2023-04-19T00:56:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T15:45:14.796Z","description":"Saga of the alleged 21-year-old leaker embroils Massachusetts Air National Guard unit","url":"https://time.com/6272814/teixeira-discord-leak-unit-halts-mission/","keywords":["National Security","Military","Foreign Policy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4770107d7c2a0243/698a3c01b3fce379b00ca5d7/jack-teixeira-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"W.J. 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