US general overseeing Ukraine security assistance left classified maps on train, suffered alcohol-related concussion, watchdog finds
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A former U.S. Army general tasked with overseeing U.S.-led military support for Ukraine lost classified maps on a train in Europe and was concussed after an "overindulgence in alcohol" during a dinner in Ukraine, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Defense's Inspector General.
The 50-page report, dated March 12, found that Retired Army Major General Antonio Aguto Jr., who led the German-based Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U), violated policy in his handling of classified maps while on a State Department-chartered trains.
SAG-U, which was established in November 2022 with about 300 military personnel, assists with "coordinating the training and equipping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," out of Wiesbaden, Germany, according to the Pentagon.
The report, which was compiled after receiving three anonymous complaints, notes that Aguto improperly assigned control of the maps while en route to Kyiv in March 2024, leaving the classified materials in the hands of staff instead of a diplomatic courier, as required.
Upon the groups return trip to Germany, the maps, which were classified as secret, were subsequently misplaced and left on a Ukrainian train. The misplaced maps, deemed improperly stored in an unsecured cylindrical tube, were returned one day after having been found missing, the report concluded.
"The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine recovered the unattended classified documents from the train when it returned to Ukraine one day later. (Major General) Aguto took responsibility for this incident," the report read.
In a separate incident a month later on May 14, 2024, Aguto appeared to show signs of "progressive decline" during a meeting with then Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
The Inspector General's office found that Aguto's behavior during the meeting was due to a concussion he suffered after a series of falls following a night of heavy drinking on May 13.
"A preponderance of the evidence established that MG Aguto suffered a moderate-to-severe concussion caused by head injuries from at least one, if not all three, falls in the late evening of May 13 and the morning of May 14," the report notes.
Aguto is ruled to have violated Defense Department policies on alcohol consumption after drinking from two bottles of liquor at the dinner, described as a military engagement, alongside a redacted associate.
In light of Aguto's actions, the Investigator General's report recommended that the Army Secretary take unspecified "appropriate action" regarding the found misconduct, while referring the loss of classified documents to the U.S. European Command Special Security Office.
Aguto relinquished command of SAG-U in August 2024 shortly before retiring from the military.
