Pentagon Tightens Controls After Leaking of Classified Documents

(Patria) - The Pentagon will change its security policy after reviewing a large leak of classified files, the BBC reported.

New measures include appointing an official to control access levels to strictly confidential data and installing a system for detecting electronic devices.

The results of a 45-day review of Pentagon policies and procedures, ordered by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin following the leak, suggest the need to increase oversight of those entrusted with confidential national security information.

A senior defense official suggested to reporters at a briefing that the Pentagon's security protocols have struggled to keep pace with the growing number of vetted personnel and the number of facilities where classified files are accessed.

While some existing policies will be strengthened, others will be updated and new rules developed to address existing shortcomings, the Department of Defense said.

The review concluded that there was no "single point of failure" in military procedures and stated that the vast majority of personnel with access adhere to security policies and procedures, but recommended that the Department of Defense increase spending on security measures, create a new office for insider threats, and increase the number of personnel overseeing the handling of classified documents.

The review proposed tightening security measures to prevent the use of electronic devices in rooms where classified data is stored and where confidential information or images could be photographed or recorded.