RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An Army veteran named Courtney Williams, 40, from Wagram, North Carolina, has been charged with sharing classified information regarding a “special military unit” at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with a journalist. This action is said to have jeopardized national security as well as the safety of U.S. military personnel and allies. Williams is accused of violating federal law and multiple nondisclosure agreements by disclosing sensitive information related to her work.
Reid Davis, the FBI special agent in charge of North Carolina, expressed that anyone who reveals protected information to reporters is acting recklessly and undermining national security. He highlighted that Williams, who made an oath to protect national secrets, allegedly compromised that oath by sharing classified details with a media outlet.
Williams has specifically been charged under the Espionage Act and appeared in a federal court in Raleigh, where a magistrate judge unsealed the charges against her. Initially filed late last week, the case has placed Williams in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending future hearings.
The name of Williams' lawyer was not disclosed in the court records. A family member who answered the phone declined to provide comments regarding the charges. Though the journalist and military unit involved were not specifically named in the court documents, the timelines and content align with an article and book concerning the Army's secretive Delta Force, authored by Seth Harp.
Courtney Williams gained notoriety through a 2025 article from Politico titled "My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman's Career in Delta Force, the Army's Most Elite Unit," which coincided with the release of Harp’s book, "The Fort Bragg Cartel." The book alleges incidences of sexual harassment and discrimination within the unit. In a statement, Harp referred to Williams as "a brave whistleblower and truth-teller," asserting that her prosecution was a retaliatory act for exposing such serious issues within the military.
According to an FBI affidavit, Williams was first cleared as a defense contractor in April 2010, followed by her appointment as a Department of Defense employee later that year. Williams served in an operational support role within a special military unit, managing Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for sensitive missions. Her access to classified information was revoked in 2015 following an internal investigation, after which she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
The government claims that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with the unnamed journalist, engaging in over ten hours of telephone conversations and exchanging more than 180 messages. An important text cited in the affidavit shows Williams expressing concern over the amount of classified information that had been disclosed, particularly on the day the book and article were published.
In another exchange with her mother, Williams apparently mentioned the possibility of arrest for disclosing classified material, indicating awareness of the seriousness of her actions. Furthermore, the affidavit indicated that the investigation has revealed at least ten batches of documents that Williams intended to provide to the journalist.
The disclosure of classified information by a member of the military is considered a grave offense, raising significant implications for national security and operational integrity. The unfolding case against Williams underscores the tensions between free expression, whistleblowing, and the legal obligations owed by military personnel to protect sensitive information.
