Recent Arrests of 2 Servicemembers Highlights China's Reach
This ain't the first time
Over the weekend, the Department of Justice announced the arrests of two active-duty service members and a veteran at JBLM for passing sensitive military information to the People’s Republic of China. Lt Ti Tian and Sgt Jian Zho were stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Ruoyu Duan, who served four years in the Army, was also arrested. All three men were arrested last week for passing sensitive information to Chinese agents in return for money, specifically classified information on weapons systems.
These arrests underscore the persistent counter-intelligence threat inside the United States military. In 2024, four servicemembers were either detained or convicted of attempting to pass intelligence to foreign entities, likely Chinese intelligence agencies.
In January 2024, United States Navy Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, aka Thomas Zhao, received 27 months in prison for transmitting sensitive information to Chinese intelligence.
In April 2024, Chief Petty Officer Bryce Pedicini, based in Japan, was convicted of Attempted Espionage.
In August 2024, Sgt Korbein Schultz, an Army intelligence analyst with a Top-Secret Clearance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose National Defense Information.
In November 2024, German officials detained German authorities have detained Martin D, a US Citizen, on suspicion of attempting to pass sensitive information about American military operations in Germany to Chinese intelligence agencies. Martin D is a former civilian contractor employed by the US military at the time of his arrest.
China’s intelligence services have marshaled all of their resources to attack the United States intelligence community, no doubt aided by their 2015 hack of the Office of Personnel Management, which is responsible for conducting background investigations for many intelligence agencies. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that a new China probe is opened “every 12 hours.”
As President Trump continues to restructure the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), field agents will be hard-pressed to address the pressing counterintelligence and counterterrorism threats emanating domestically.
