US Navy sailors indicted for leaking military information to China
Two Navy service officials have been arrested and indicted on charges of leaking sensitive US military information to China according to US judicial authorities.
The US Department of Justice said on Thursday that one of the sailors stationed at a naval base in California allegedly received about 14,800 dollars between August 2021 and May 2023 from a Chinese intelligence officer posing as a maritime economic researcher.
The indictment alleges that the sailor leaked operational plans for a large-scale US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, and information on a radar system at a US military base in Okinawa, Japan.
The department said the other service member was working on an amphibious assault ship stationed at another naval base in California.
The service member allegedly sent photographs and videos of the ship and described its defensive weapons between March 2022 and the present, and received thousands of dollars. The sailor also allegedly leaked information about the ship’s systems, including power and steering, and was paid 5,000 dollars.
A senior official of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the arrests are a reminder of China’s efforts to undermine US democracy. The official said the FBI remains vigilant in its determination to combat espionage.
