The banality of military leaks as a gaming boast

The story of Jack Teixeira, 21, an airman in the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who allegedly leaked secret defense information, is like none other.

Notorious military-data leakers of the past like Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Reality Winner sought to change U.S. government policies.

Not Teixeira, it seems. His military rank was low but he was a leader — of a small online circle of video gamers on the "Discord" app, which ironically, the military uses for recruitment purposes. By most accounts so far, his reckless drops were intended only to impress internet peers and followers with what he knew and could access. 

Media reports suggest he's a Gen Z narcissist who lightheartedly spouted remarks tinged with antisemitism and racism, yet showed no earnest bent for sedition.    

In fact, Texeira indicated no seriousness of purpose at all — which makes the story especially eerie. One suspects that a few young men of this type could be found online in family basements on Long Island and across America.

Teixeira had special access because the Massachusetts Air National Guard is one of several northeastern bases for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which detects foreign incursions of U.S. airspace. The base in turn has routine access to the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System. As an information technology specialist, Teixeira had clearance to see top-secret materials.

Obviously, the Pentagon all the way up to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces embarrassing security problems. Probers will need to answer why the airman’s breaches weren’t stopped in real time, and whether young service members using gaming apps are prey for foreign intelligence operations.

 No, Teixeira didn't leak nuclear codes or give a strategic heads-up to an enemy. The impact of the reports might not favor Ukraine or Russia on balance.

But the embarrassing episode could compromise intelligence efforts. And the materials reached a former U.S. Navy noncommissioned officer, Sarah Bils, who allegedly oversaw a Russian propaganda social media account that made the leaks go viral. She's being probed.

Teixeira may face two 10-year prison terms under the Espionage Act. People with his job agree to protect secrets or face severe penalties. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said a strong message needs to be sent.

That's appropriate. But there’s a more enigmatic crisis here. Ultimately it's about Teixeira and what his presence in the military symbolizes.

One wonders if he stopped for a nanosecond to consider how blatantly disloyal these actions were, Or that there were so many ways the documents he wanted to keep among his friends on a Discord group, called "Thug Shaker Central," could spread to outside websites.

All this to show off.

Let's consider whether the heedless judgment of an isolated gamer reflects differently on the Pentagon and the nation than past subversions. Teixeira, the most banal of saboteurs, has broken new ground in the annals of useless, sloppy sabotage.