For Your Eyes Only... and China’s: Soldiers Accused of Selling U.S. Military Secrets

Two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, Jian Zhao and Li Tian, alongside former soldier Ruoyu Duan, have been charged with conspiring to sell sensitive military information to individuals in China. Zhao and Tian were stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, while Duan resides in Oregon.

Zhao faces charges of conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information, bribery, and theft of government property. He is accused of selling an encrypted military computer and classified hard drives, some labeled "secret" and "top secret," to a co-conspirator in exchange for money. Tian and Duan are charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property. Tian allegedly gathered sensitive data on U.S. weapons systems, including Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, and sold it to Duan, who subsequently received payments from individuals in China.

The Justice Department and FBI have linked these thefts to Beijing, asserting that the accused individuals betrayed their country by undermining America's defense capabilities. Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the actions, stating that the three men "are accused of betraying our country in an effort to empower China.