A retired US Army officer has pleaded guilty to leaking top secret information about the Ukraine conflict to an unknown woman on a foreign dating platform.
American authorities have announced the guilty plea of David Slater, a 64-year-old retired Army officer, who admitted to sharing classified data about the Ukraine conflict with a woman he met on a foreign dating platform. The news was disclosed via a press release from the US Justice Department.
Slater was employed as a civilian employee at the Air Force’s US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at the time of the leaks. His employment period overlapped with the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, between February and April 2022. USSTRATCOM is responsible for overseeing the nation’s nuclear command and control systems, which suggests that Slater had access to highly classified information.
Pursuant to court filings, Slater, who held a top secret security clearance, attended briefings involving intelligence classified up to the highest level. However, prosecutors assert that he later shared such information with someone who purported to be a Ukrainian woman. They communicated via a messaging feature on an unnamed foreign dating platform.
According to the court’s documents, the woman regularly prompted Slater to disclose sensitive details and referred to him with affectionate titles such as ‘my secret informant love’ and ‘my secret agent.’ In one instance, she asked, ‘Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?’
Prosecutors assert that the leaked information included military strategic targets, Russian military capabilities, and US and NATO planning. The identity of the woman, who is believed to be working for a foreign government, has not been publicly disclosed.
US Attorney Lesley Woods described Slater’s actions as a failure in his duty to protect classified information, while FBI Special Agent Eugene Kowel labeled the officer as having ‘betrayed an oath’ to safeguard national intelligence.
Slater is currently facing up to 10 years in prison for the leaks, though under a plea agreement, he may serve a fraction of this term. His sentencing is scheduled for October 8. This case follows the similar breach in 2023 involving Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who admitted to posting highly classified documents on Discord, including battlefield maps and intelligence assessments about the Ukraine conflict.