It remains for Pentagon investigators and the military legal system to determine if Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia actually committed the crime of revealing classified material to two reporters, but it does appear that he gave the reporters information on background that he knew they would make public without the knowledge of his superiors.
In my opinion, that is just as bad because it is a violation of trust. This is something that has become epidemic in Washington over the last 30 years, although leaking has always been present as a civilian political tactic to get back at perceived enemies in high places. The most famous leak of all was the “Deep Throat” information given to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post by former deputy director of the FBI, William Mark Felt, during Watergate. Woodward also revealed several military flag-level sources in Generals Brent Scowcroft and Alexander Haig (both deceased). Both were political generals and White House insiders, but in recent decades, military leaks by relatively mid-level senior officers have become a tidal surge
In my experience, there are two types of military leakers. The first are personnel who believe that they have legitimate objections to policies and operations. Instead of doing the right thing and going through their chain of command to voice their concerns, they go to reporters and blow the proverbial whistle rather than taking the chance that they will be fired or asked to resign over their principles. To my knowledge, no general or flag officer has resigned over a matter of principle since Marine Corps Lieutenant General Greg Newbold retired after clashing publicly with Secretary Rumsfeld over Iraq planning. Although several have been fired for speaking out publicly over policy and strategic issues, that is different from covertly stabbing your boss in the back. However, I do know of several instances where prominent senior officers forced their bosses to back down with threats to retire or resign over decisions that were illegal, immoral, or dangerous to national security.
