Three current and former U.S Army soldiers were arrested for allegedly gathering sensitive military secrets and selling them to individuals in China, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday.
U.S. Army soldiers Jian Zhao, Li Tian and former Army soldier Ruoyu Duan were arrested for alleged involvement in multi-year conspiracies to leak military intelligence to unnamed Chinese nationals, according to the DOJ. Furthermore, the indictment against Zhao alleges he transmitted intel deemed “top secret,” and received at least $15,000 for the information.
“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi said in a statement. “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”
China remains the U.S.’ most powerful geopolitical adversary, with the nation regularly engaging in widespread espionage against the U.S. Western intelligence agencies have long sounded the alarm on Beijing’s highly sophisticated network of assets, spies and cyber intelligence operations.
Zhao, a unit supply specialist who served at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) since March 2020, communicated over encrypted channels on the internet with his co-conspirator, which the indictment describes as a “foreign national purporting to reside in Changchun, China.” He allegedly received his payment for the data from August 2024 to December 2024.
Zhao often downloaded materials to physical hard drives, with some labeled “top secret” and “secret,” the indictment alleges.
Tian, a health services administrator at JBLM since 2021, allegedly provided “operational capabilities, including technical manuals and other sensitive information” to Duan in return for payment from Nov. 28, 2021 to Dec. 19, 2024, according to the DOJ. The leaked materials were pertaining to U.S. military weapon systems, such as the Bradley and Stryker U.S. Army fighting vehicles.
Duan then received payment from unnamed Chinese nationals. It remains unclear whether or not any of the accused possessed dual citizenship with China.
Duan was a cavalry scout in the regular Army from November 2013 to May 2017, serving no deployment before leaving the service, U.S. Army Spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The U.S. Army added that it is fully cooperating in the investigation, but could not provide more details.
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