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American intelligence officials are concerned that the United States will not be able to identify the early warning signed of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, according to leaked documents.
The documents cite China's increased activity around Taiwan as a major issue for predicting an actual invasion or attack. The reports, obtained by the Washington Post, were prepared as briefing materials for the Joint Chiefs of Staff between February and March, and reference China's heightened aggression toward Taiwan following former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island.
"You need to have a fairly high level of confidence that you’re facing use of force and also time to make critical political decisions if you’re the United States," Joel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow at National Defense University, told WaPo. "If you have ambiguities or doubts as well as a compressed timeline, it could potentially complicate your ability to mobilize your own forces, which is a huge challenge."
China once again surrounded Taiwan with its forces earlier this month in reaction to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's trip to the U.S., where she met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
FBI ARRESTS MASSACHUSETTS AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMAN JACK TEIXEIRA IN PROBE OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT LEAKS
China's ramped up aggression around Taiwan could prevent the U.S. from identifying any early warnings that the country plans to invade or attack. (Lin Jian/Xinhua via AP)
The documents were part of a trove of intelligence materials leaked online via the social platform Discord. Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Jack Teixeira of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the incident.
Authorities charged Teixeira on Friday with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and willful retention of classified documents.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., shakes hands with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after delivering statements to the press at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Teixeira, wearing handcuffs and a khaki prison jumpsuit, was read the charges shortly after 10 a.m. local time during an appearance in federal court in Boston. He did not enter a plea and was ordered to be held pending a detention hearing set for Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
His father shouted during the hearing, "I love you, Jack!" He responded: "I love you, Dad."
WHO IS JACK TEIXEIRA, THE AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMEN ALLEGEDLY BEHIND LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS?
Jack Teixeira, a U.S. Air Force National Guard airman accused of leaking highly classified military intelligence records online, makes his initial appearance before a federal judge in Boston, Massachusetts. (REUTERS/Margaret Small)
President Biden said Friday that he commends the "rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond to the recent dissemination of classified U.S. government documents."
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"While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information, and our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies," Biden said in a statement from the White House.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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