A former United States Army operational support specialist who worked at the secretive Delta Force base at Fort Bragg has been arrested and charged with unlawfully transmitting classified national defence information to a journalist, in a case that has ignited a sharp dispute over whistleblowing, gender discrimination, and press freedom.
Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, was arrested on Tuesday and charged on Wednesday with one count of illegally communicating or transmitting national defence information, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of ten years in prison if convicted.
Williams held a Top Secret and Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance during her time with the Army’s Special Military Unit (SMU) at Fort Bragg from 2010 to 2016, giving her daily access to classified materials including tactics, techniques, and procedures used in covert military missions.
Williams signed a Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement when she was hired in 2010 and again when she departed in 2015. Prosecutors allege the classified information she disclosed was rated at the “SECRET” level with “NOFORN” restrictions, meaning it was not authorised for release to foreign nationals, raising concerns about potential access by United States adversaries.
Federal prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with an unnamed journalist, including over ten hours of phone calls and approximately 180 text messages. Court documents also allege Williams saved files on her computer under names including “Batch 1 for Reporter” and “Batch 2 for Reporter,” with investigators identifying at least ten batches of documents she intended to provide.
Although the journalist is not named in the court filings, a book titled “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and an accompanying magazine article published by independent reporter Seth Harp in 2025 prominently feature Williams and her allegations of harassment and abuse during her service at Fort Bragg.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest, warning that authorities are actively pursuing leak investigations. “Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” he said.
Court documents cite text messages in which Williams expressed concern about the volume of classified material that had been published, writing that she believed the information she shared was only intended to give the journalist a better general understanding of how the unit operated and had not expected it to be published directly.
Williams has denied any wrongdoing. Harp described Williams as a courageous whistleblower who exposed rampant gender discrimination and sexual harassment within Delta Force, and said he was confident the indictment would fall apart under scrutiny. He argued that Williams was charged not to protect classified information but to retaliate against a woman who sought to improve workplace conditions for female soldiers and civilian employees.
Williams is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on April 13.
