An American military intelligence analyst was arrested on Thursday March 7 for transmitting classified information to an accomplice claiming to be based in Hong Kong, the American Department of Justice announced. The ministry specifies in a press release that the unidentified individual to whom the soldier, Korbein Schultz, was providing information was particularly interested in “potential plans of the United States in the event of a military attack against Taiwan”.
Korbein Schultz notably provided him with “documents related to the Himars multiple launch rocket systems, information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of American military forces, on important countries such as the People’s Republic of China and reports of exercises and ‘military operations’according to the text.
In exchange for this information, between May 2022 and his arrest at the Fort Campbell military base, he received approximately $42,000 from this accomplice, who “claimed to live in Hong Kong and work for a geopolitical consultancy company based abroad”. The soldier is targeted by a series of charges, including the transmission of information relating to national defense, the illicit export of military technology and corruption of a civil servant.
“A serious betrayal”
“The actions covered by the indictment constitute a serious betrayal of the oath to defend our country”reacted Larissa Knapp, head of the national security division of the FBI, the American federal police, quoted in the text. “Instead of protecting national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security”she added.
Asked Friday about Mr. Schultz’s arrest, as well as that of a Chinese software engineer detained this week for allegedly stealing artificial intelligence technology from Google, Chinese authorities said they were not “unaware of specific circumstances” of these cases.
“China has always attached great importance to intellectual property rights and actively protected them”however, declared a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, in reference to the Google affair. “At the same time, we also oppose the United States abusing its national power to baselessly suppress Chinese businesses and citizens”she added during a press conference.
Mr. Schultz’s indictment also comes shortly after the arrest in California of two members of the US Navy accused of spying for China. Quartermaster Wenheng Zhao was sentenced to twenty-seven months in prison in January after pleading guilty to conspiring with a foreign intelligence agent and accepting a bribe. He was arrested in August, as was the other American sailor, Jinchao Wei.