“US Army Analyst Pleads Guilty to Selling Military Secrets to China”

“US Army Analyst Pleads Guilty to Selling Military Secrets to China”

A US Army intelligence analyst has admitted to selling highly classified military information to a suspected Chinese agent, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday. Korbein Schultz, who held top-secret clearance, pleaded guilty to charges of sharing sensitive national defense information, including export-controlled technical data on US military weapons systems, with an individual in Hong Kong whom he believed was connected to the Chinese government.

In exchange for the classified information, Schultz received approximately $42,000. The charges against him, which were filed in March, include conspiracy to disclose national defense information, exporting defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official.

According to court documents, Schultz provided critical information, including insights from the Army’s lessons learned from the Ukraine war, strategic plans for the defense of Taiwan, intelligence on Chinese military tactics, and details about US military satellite capabilities.

FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells emphasized the gravity of Schultz’s actions, stating, “Governments like China are aggressively targeting our military personnel and national security information. We will do everything in our power to safeguard that information from hostile foreign governments.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen underscored the risk Schultz posed to national security, noting, “By conspiring to transmit national defense information to a person living outside the United States, this defendant recklessly put our national security at risk to cash in on the trust our military placed in him.”

Schultz is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2025.