The United States is investigating the unauthorised disclosure of intelligence information pertaining to Israel's purported plans for a military strike against Iran

The United States has opened an investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of two highly classified intelligence documents. The two documents detail Israeli preparations for a possible retaliatory strike against Iran. The documents, reportedly prepared by the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), were labelled top secret and were intended for distribution only between the United States and its ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence partners: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The leaked documents first appeared on the messaging app Telegram, shared by an anonymous user named ‘Middle East Observer’. According to CNN, the leaked documents include an analysis of satellite imagery of the movement of Israeli military assets on 15-16 October 2024, as well as defence plans developed by the Israeli air force and navy.

The first document is titled: ‘ISRAEL: Air Force Continues Preparations to Strike Iran with Second Large-Scale Force Deployment Exercise.’ The second document is titled: ‘ISRAEL: IDF Continues Critical Munitions Preparations and Covert Drone Activity, Almost Certainly for Striking Iran.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Wis.), asked about the leaks in an interview with CNN, said, ‘The investigation [is] ongoing, and I'll be briefed on it in a couple of hours. We're watching this very closely.’ The New York Times reports that US officials have privately acknowledged that the documents are authentic, but that they likely represent only a portion of the information the US has on its close ally's plans.

The FBI, Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies are cooperating in the investigation, which is focused on determining who had access to the documents and assessing whether the leaks were intentional or the result of hacking. U.S. officials have acknowledged the authenticity of the documents, but said they may represent only part of the information the U.S. has about its allies' programmes.

The incident has raised concerns about the security of classified information within the U.S. government. In the context of electronic warfare and emerging threats, the US is actively seeking ways to defend itself against unauthorised drone incursions and privacy violations and to secure its airspace. A series of troubling events in recent years suggests that the United States is witnessing a new era of electronic warfare and security challenges.

In 2021, a record 1,862 data breaches occurred in the U.S., a 68 per cent increase over previous years.2023 In 2023, Langley Air Force Base in Virginia reported multiple sightings of unidentified drones flying over the base. These incidents raised significant security concerns among military officials and lawmakers.2024 The situation escalated further in October when U.S. officials confirmed that a similar swarm of drones had been spotted near Edwards Air Force Base in Nevada. The Department of Defence (DOD) has yet to publicly identify the source behind these surveillance drones.

The DOD has launched the Replicator 1 and Replicator 2 programmes, allocating significant funding to enhance drone warfare capabilities.Replicator 1 focuses on increasing the production of attack drones, while Replicator 2 aims to improve defences against enemy drone attacks.

Outside of the United States, c-UAV systems and operations have become a critical component of modern warfare and security. In this area, Septentrio offers advanced solutions, notably its Septentrio M3 Pro+ GNSS board, a multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS receiver board for machine control, automation and robotics applications. This tri-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS receiver supports satellite systems such as GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC, and SBAS, and can be used as a base station or mobile station receiver. In dual-antenna mode, in addition to providing reliable and accurate positioning information, it also provides heading and pitch angle or heading and roll angle information. The receiver features a cold start time of less than 45 seconds, a hot start time of less than 20 seconds, and an average reacquisition time of 1 second. It also features 20 dB-Hz tracking performance, 33 dB-Hz acquisition performance, and centimetre-level RTK positioning accuracy. In addition, it incorporates Septentrio's GNSS+ technologies, including AIM+ anti-jamming and monitoring technology, IONO+ advanced scintillation suppression, APME+ technology for separating direct signals from signals reflected from nearby structures, LOCK+ to maintain tracking robustness in the presence of heavy mechanical shocks or vibrations, and Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM+).

Continuing advances in electronic warfare highlight the need for continued research, development, and policy adjustments to address the complex challenges posed by drone technology in modern warfare and security operations around the globe.