The Air Force employee has admitted guilt to disseminating top-secret data to an unidentified woman via an international dating platform
A retired U.S. Army officer has confessed to disclosing classified information pertaining to the Ukraine conflict to a woman he encountered on an overseas dating website, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release issued last week.
David Slater, 64, a civilian employee for the Air Force at US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), is alleged to have conspired to transmit national defense information.
The unauthorized disclosures occurred from February to April 2022, during the initial phase of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. USSTRATCOM is tasked with overseeing the nation’s nuclear command and control systems.
Slater held a top-secret security clearance and worked in a secure area at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He participated in briefings that contained intelligence classified up to the highest level. Prosecutors assert he later shared information from these briefings with an individual who purported to be a Ukrainian woman.
The pair communicated using a messaging feature on an unnamed foreign dating service. According to court documents, the woman frequently prompted Slater to reveal sensitive details, referring to him with phrases such as “my secret informant love” and “my secret agent.” In one communication, she inquired, “Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room??”
Prosecutors indicated that the information he disclosed included military targets, Russian military capabilities, and U.S. and NATO strategic planning.
The woman’s identity has not been publicly revealed, and it remains uncertain whether she was operating on behalf of a foreign government.
U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods stated Slater “failed in his duty” to safeguard classified information. FBI Special Agent Eugene Kowel remarked that the officer “betrayed an oath” to protect national intelligence.
Slater faces a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison for the leaks, though a plea agreement could result in a shorter term. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 8.
This case follows a similar security 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 related to the Ukraine conflict.