Names of SAS troops were published online for a decade in major Ministry of Defence blunder
MOD LEAK Names of SAS troops were published online for a decade in major Ministry of Defence blunder
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THE names of SAS troops were published online for a decade in another major Ministry of Defence security blunder – sparking a major inquiry.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Army boss Sir Roly Walker were said to be furious over how details of special forces soldiers recruited from the Grenadier Guards were made publicly accessible through an Army in-house magazine.
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John Healey was said to be furious over how details of special forces soldiers were made publicly accessible
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The publication contained a roll call of the names and deployments of its most senior officers including some attached to the UK special forces directorate, who are deployed to the most dangerous combat zones around the world.
Last year's edition included the names of ten men in the regiment and the code 'MAB' – a reference to the UK Special Forces' headquarters.
It comes after a Ministry of Defence official circulated a spreadsheet containing the names of SAS members and MI6 operatives, along with the details of thousands of Afghans who applied for relocation to the UK.
Ministers have since relocated thousands of Afghans to Britain at a cost of up to £7billion.
The information was kept a secret for 18 months through a superinjunction used by the MoD – the first time one had been used by the Government against the press.
The latest document is produced by the Grenadier Guards regimental association, a charitable enterprise consisting of former service members.
General Sir Roly Walker told The Sunday Times: 'As a result of this incident, I have directed an immediate review into our data-sharing arrangements with our regimental and corps associations, to ensure appropriate guidance and safeguards are in place to best support the vital work they do.'
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