The previous version of the guidelines simply required troops to report cases of treason or attempted intrusions into automated systems, the AP notes. The Army insists the update is not related to the WikiLeaks leaks but is simply part of a comprehensive review.

In May, a former Army intelligence analyst named Bradley Manning was arrested for allegedly leaking a classified Army video showing a gunship attack in Iraq, which WikiLeaks published in April.

In online chats with a former hacker, Manning claimed to have leaked the video as well as a trove of other classified data to WikiLeaks, including a separate video showing the notorious May 2009 air strike near Garani village in Afghanistan — which WikiLeaks has acknowledged possessing but has not yet published — and a database covering 500,000 events in the Iraq War between 2004 and 2009. Manning said the database included reports, dates, and latitude and longitude of events, as well as casualty figures. According to WikiLeaks insiders, the site is preparing to publish a cache of Iraq War documents on October 18. It appears to be similar to a database of Army reports from the Afghan war that WikiLeaks published in July.

Manning also took credit for leaking a cache of database of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. Although the site published at least one cable earlier this year that Manning appeared to take credit for in the chats, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in a Twitter message, has denied possessing a cache of 260,000 State Department cables.

Manning has been charged with downloading the classified Iraq video and transmitting it to a third party, in violation of the Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. 793(e), a section of the act that involves passing classified information to an uncleared party, but not a foreign government.

He’s also charged with allegedly abusing access to the government’s Secret-level SIPR network to obtain more than 150,000 U.S. State Department cables, as well as an unspecified classified PowerPoint presentation.

Authors: Kim Zetter

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