US soldiers indicted for selling military secrets to communist China

Two current U.S. soldiers and one former U.S. Army officer have been indicted by a federal grand jury for selling military intelligence to China.

All three soldiers were arrested on Thursday, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”

Arrested were Jian Zhao and Li Tian, both active-duty U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is located south of Tacoma, Washington.

The base is home to I Corps and the 62nd Airlift Wing.

Also arrested and charged was Ruoyu Duan, a former U.S. Army soldier, who was described by the DOJ as an officer.

Tian and Duan are accused of conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property. 

Conviction on the bribery charge can result in up to five years in prison and criminal fines. Conviction on the theft of federal property charge can result in 10 years in prison and fines.  

Zhao is accused of conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information to an individual not authorized to receive it, also known as espionage, and for bribery and theft of government property. 

An espionage conviction carries a 10-year sentence, plus civil and criminal property forfeiture provisions, which the government said it will pursue. 

The DOJ said that Duan and Tian conspired with each other to secretly gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army’s operational capabilities, including manuals and other technical information.  

Tian then transmitted the information to Duan in return for money, according to the indictment.  

Specifically, Tian gathered information about U.S. military weapon systems, including information related to the Bradley and Stryker U.S. Army fighting vehicles.  

The Bradley fighting vehicle is a mobile infantry armored personnel carrier. The Stryker is a heavier, more modern armored personnel carrier.   

Both systems are currently operational, have seen heavy use by the Ukrainian military in its war against Russia, and would figure prominently in any U.S.-China conflict.  

“As former and current members of the U.S. Army, Ruoyu Duan and Li Tian betrayed the oath of military service they had taken,” said Douglas A. Olson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland Field Office. “Their actions caused significant risk and damage to U.S. National Security and violated the oath they took as military members to protect the American people.” 

In the case involving Jian Zhao, an active-duty U.S. Army supply sergeant, the grand jury alleged he conspired “to collect and transmit several classified hard drives, including hard drives marked ‘SECRET’ and ‘TOP SECRET.’” 

The information on the hard drives is related to the HIMARS weapon system and other sensitive military documents. 

HIMARS is a mobile multiple rocket launcher that can be attached to a standard Army truck or even mounted on a ship at sea and fired at a land-based target. It’s a mainstay of artillery regiments in the U.S. and foreign forces, being deployed by nearly a dozen countries, including China’s adversary in the Pacific, Taiwan. 

Zhao reportedly collected at least $15,000 from the transactions, described in the indictment as multiple payments. 

The indictment contains photos of 20 hard drives allegedly collected by Zhao, some of which have “secret” markings, some of which have “unclassified” markings, and some have no markings at all. 

It’s illegal to sell controlled “unclassified” information, known as CUI, or information deemed confidential by the military, just as it’s illegal to sell marked classified material. 

Zhao communicated with an unidentified co-conspirator based in China by means of an encrypted messenger system.  

Although it’s unspecified in the indictment, the DOJ statement thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which may have found the hard drives being mailed to China. 

“These arrests should send a message to would-be spies that we and our partners have the will and the ability to find you, track you down, and hold you to account,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office.  

The arrests come as the new Trump administration of anti-China hawks takes power in Washington, D.C., including the president’s choice for FBI chief, Kash Patel. 

The new FBI director wasted no time in calling out China’s communist government for the latest spying, even as President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on the Chinese regime as much for bad behavior as for trade policy.  

“While bribery and corruption have thrived under China’s Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI and our partners will continue to work to uncover attempts by those in China to steal sensitive U.S. military information and hold all accountable who play a role in betraying our national defense.”