"As U.S. military and intelligence officials formulated ways to blunt full-scale conflict in Ukraine two years ago, David Slater, a retired Army lieutenant colonel with access to top-secret briefings, was allegedly feeding classified information about military targets and capabilities to a romantic interest via a foreign dating app.
"You are my secret informant love!" someone posting from an account on the app wrote to Slater in mid-March 2022, roughly a month after he had allegedly begun sharing military secrets.
"My sweet Dave, thanks for the valuable information," wrote the digital paramour, who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine, according to the government. "It's great that two officials from the USA are going to Kyiv."
The U.S. arrested Slater on Saturday, charging him with three counts of disclosing and conspiring to disclose national defense information.
An indictment provided no details about the identity of the person with whom Slater was allegedly trading secrets and sweet nothings, although it suggested a connection to Russian intelligence.
Romantic lures are as old as espionage itself, used to facilitate surveillance, blackmail and document gathering. But dating apps permit intelligence officers and agents to hide behind false, alluring profiles with little penalty for detection.
If convicted, Slater faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. He has yet to enter a plea.
Jeffrey L. Thomas, a federal public defender listed as Slater's attorney in the case, didn't respond to an emailed request for comment.
Slater, 63, was a civilian Air Force employee at the U.S. Strategic Command -- Stratcom -- based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where he attended classified briefings in the winter and spring of 2022 about the conflict that was rapidly expanding in Ukraine. He had a top-secret security clearance.
A Pentagon spokesman told reporters that "insider threats are something that needs to be taken seriously, which is why every single member of the Department of Defense -- whether you're in basic training, or a two-star general or above -- is going to take training on proper handling and safeguarding of sensitive information."
Stratcom is responsible for U.S. nuclear deterrence and the U.S. military's nuclear arsenal, and has roles in space and cyber operations.
A Stratcom spokesman confirmed Slater was an employee there until 2022 and worked in the Directorate of Logistics. The spokesman referred other questions to the FBI.
The indictment alleges that Slater provided classified information on military targets in conflict in Ukraine, and on U.S. knowledge of Russian military capabilities.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said that Slater had "knowingly transmitted classified national-defense information to another person in blatant disregard for the security of his country and his oath to safeguard its secrets."
Slater's alleged disclosures began roughly 11 days after February 2022 events in Ukraine started, according to the federal indictment. The person posting as a woman wrote to Slater: "American Intelligence says that already 100% of Russian troops are located on the territory of Ukraine. Do you think this information can be trusted?"
Further text messages released by the Justice Department revealed that Slater had allegedly shared details about arms shipments and capabilities and the travel plans of U.S. and NATO officials.
Many of the messages mingled talk of military information, gratitude, breathless surprise and pronouncements of affection, with references to "sweet Dave" and "beloved Dave," while also soliciting continued information.
The government's allegation "just shows that human beings are fallible, and that the tried-and-true methodology that our adversaries have used successfully for years -- a recruitment based on sexual desires -- can still be very effective," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired senior CIA officer.
The CIA has aggressively tried to recruit Russians disenchanted with events in Ukraine. Russian disaffection "creates a once-in-a generation opportunity for us," CIA Director William Burns said last year. "We're not letting it go to waste."
In late March 2022, as Russia's military leadership deliberated withdrawing its troops from the Kyiv region, Slater's romantic interest expressed satisfaction about Slater's ability to gather fresh intelligence. "You are my secret agent," a message to him from that account read. "With love."" [1]
1. U.S. News: Romantic Lure Allegedly Was Fed Ukraine Secrets. Forrest, Brett; Strobel, Conflict ren P. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 06 Mar 2024: A.7.
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