Defense Department has 45 days to finish probe into leaked classified documents

April 17 (UPI) -- U.S. intelligence analysts continue to "actively address" the recent leak of classified documents online and will conduct a comprehensive review within 45 days, a Department of Defense spokesperson said Monday.

Deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh told journalists at the Pentagon, "We're here to pull the facts and that's what this review will do."

"The secretary has formally directed the under secretary of Defense for intelligence and security, in coordination with the chief information officer and the director of administration and management, to lead a comprehensive review of DOD security programs, policies and procedures," Singh said.

The unit Singh referred to is the one to which Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira belonged. Teixeira was charged last week with possessing classified national security documents.

The documents contained detailed information about the Ukraine war and were found after being posted on the gaming site Discord and allegedly shared with others by Teixeira.

Teixeira was arrested Thursday by FBI agents and made his first court appearance Friday.

Singh Monday did not specify how many total documents the Defense Department believes were leaked or speculate on whether there could be further information online of which officials are not yet aware.

"DOJ is the lead investigator on this topic. There could be more documents that are being circulated online. That is something this investigation is looking into," Singh told reporters.

She also declined to elaborate on whether Teixeira, who is being held in Massachusetts, could eventually face a court martial under military law, rather than be tried in the federal system.

"This is an ongoing investigation, and in terms of jurisdiction, it is something that we are working through with the Department of Justice, but I just don't have anything to announce on that front just yet," Singh told reporters

Singh would not elaborate on whether or not Teixeira's supervisors at Joint Base Cape Cod where he worked are being investigated.

If convicted, Teixeira faces up to 10 years in prison.

Singh also pushed back against the vetting process for security clearances.

"I think we are pretty confident in how the FBI does conduct its background checks when it comes to somebody being able to obtain a security clearance," she told reporters.

Without addressing specific documents, Singh did acknowledge a small footprint of U.S. military troops currently in Ukraine but said they are not there in a combat role and not conducting operations.

"We have publicly acknowledged previously (the military presence)," Singh told reporters, without specifying exact numbers or capabilities.

"(Troops are) to provide mission-critical support to the U.S. embassy," Singh said.

She also said the Defense Department does not believe any of the leaked documents will hurt relationships with foreign allies.