The Defense Department launched an internal probe over the weekend to determine how a trove of highly-classified intelligence linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine ended up published on social media sites and what should be done about it. The Pentagon inquiry will run alongside an ongoing criminal investigation by the Justice Department into the leak.

Chris Meagher, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top public relations aide, told reporters on Monday that several offices within the Pentagon are part of the effort, including the Office of General Counsel, the Joint Staff and the legislative affairs office.

“This team is really working to get our arms around everything that has to do with this distribution,” Mr. Meagher said. “The department  is trying to wrap its arms around what may have happened and the way ahead in terms of our response.”

They will assess the national security implications of the apparent leak and ensure Congress and U.S. allies and partners are kept informed about what happened, Mr. Meagher said, and will report directly to Mr. Austin.

The leaked photos appear to show documents similar to those used to provide daily updates to top Pentagon officials about the war in Ukraine, as well as other sensitive intelligence. Mr. Meagher said the Defense Department is working “around the clock” to assess the scope and scale of the unauthorized distribution.

“Some of these images appear to have been altered,” Mr. Meagher said.

He declined to confirm the validity of the documents or discuss any details about the information.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.