Federal agents have arrested a former military insider accused of sharing some of the nation’s most sensitive combat tactics with a journalist over several years, according to court documents.
According to Fox News, Courtney P. Williams, 40, an Army veteran who worked with a Special Military Unit at Fort Bragg, is charged with unlawfully transmitting national defense information.
Prosecutors say she had Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance, giving her access to highly classified operational details.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Williams on Tuesday, alleging she shared tactics, techniques, and procedures — known as TTPs — with a reporter between 2022 and 2025.
Officials say the communications included lengthy phone calls, roughly 180 text messages, and the transfer of documents that later appeared in published materials.
The Department of Justice said Williams violated federal law governing the handling of national defense information. Authorities claim the materials she shared were classified at the “SECRET” level and marked “NOFORN,” meaning they were not authorized for release to foreign nationals.
FBI Director Kash Patel responded publicly following the arrest.
“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests,” Patel wrote. “This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way.”
Although the journalist is not named in court filings, The Associated Press reported that the details align with reporting and a book by Seth Harp focused on the Army’s elite Delta Force unit.
An excerpt from Harp’s book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel,” was previously published and included Williams’ account of alleged misconduct within the unit.
Harp defended Williams in a statement, calling her a “brave whistleblower and truth-teller.” He argued that others have publicly discussed sensitive military topics without facing prosecution, adding, “This is a vindictive act of retaliation, plain and simple.”
Prosecutors, however, say the disclosures posed serious risks. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg emphasized the responsibility tied to security clearances.
“Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them,” he said. “When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable.”
Investigators say evidence includes files labeled “Batch 1 for Reporter” and messages suggesting Williams mailed a thumb drive containing sensitive materials.
On the day the information became public, she allegedly expressed concern to the journalist, saying she was troubled by “the amount of classified information being disclosed” and that it felt like “an entire TTP was sent out in my name.”
In a separate message to her mother, Williams reportedly acknowledged the potential consequences.
“I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book,” she wrote, adding the legal basis as “for disclosing classified information.”
Authorities say Williams had signed multiple non-disclosure agreements and had been warned that releasing classified material could violate federal law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, with assistance from federal prosecutors in North Carolina.
