A senior special forces soldier is facing court martial over allegations that he compromised secret military operations by sharing classified information with his girlfriend via WhatsApp. Referred to as Soldier A in court, the serviceman is accused of sending photographs of deceased enemy combatants, alongside sensitive details including the names of fellow soldiers and locations of covert bases.

The case, heard at Bulford military court, concerns activities reportedly occurring between June and November 2021. Prosecutors stated that Soldier A, who was serving with a specialist unit and leading a sensitive site exploitation team, retained and transmitted classified imagery during missions in a foreign theatre, designated as secret. Among the material found on his personal mobile phone were approximately 1,100 classified photographs and 140 videos, some depicting corpses and detainees.

Royal Navy Commander Edward Hannah, acting as prosecutor, detailed that Soldier A not only shared operational details but also sent selfies considered sensitive to his girlfriend, identified in court as a commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force. According to Hannah, the soldier disclosed information about his whereabouts and activities during operations, all of which were deemed to be highly sensitive.

Commander Hannah emphasized that Soldier A’s possession and dissemination of such imagery during active deployments posed a risk of compromising other units’ efforts and could have damaged international relations had the material become public. He pointed to the accused’s failure to exercise due caution, given the classified nature of the information.

Following an investigation, Soldier A was arrested in January 2022. Law enforcement officials seized multiple electronic devices from his residence, uncovering a significant volume of secret operational documents and media.

The accused denies one charge of disclosing information useful to the enemy, as well as two counts of negligence of duty. The trial is ongoing, with further proceedings expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the alleged breaches of security.