The White House says it is taking new steps to protect government secrets after the release of thousands of classified U.S. diplomatic cables by the WikiLeaks website.

The White House announced Wednesday that National Security Adviser Tom Donilon has appointed a senior adviser to lead a comprehensive effort to identify and develop reforms needed in light of the document dump.

An independent board that advises President Barack Obama on intelligence matters also will examine how the executive branch shares and protects classified information.

The latest steps are in addition to actions taken by the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the State and Defense departments in response to the disclosures.