A US Army intelligence specialist was arrested on Thursday for allegedly transferring national defense information to China. Sergeant Korbein Schultz, who had a top-secret security clearance, was apprehended at Fort Campbell, a military base along the Kentucky-Tennessee line, according to a Justice Department statement.
Schultz supplied documents, maps, and images related to US national defense to a contact in Hong Kong
Schultz’s indictment did not specify which country he allegedly provided with classified military secrets, although press outlets identified it as China. According to the accusation, Schultz supplied documents, maps, and images related to US national defense to a contact in Hong Kong beginning in June 2022. Schultz allegedly received a total of $42,000 for the information.
The Justice Department stated that it includes information about potential US plans in the case of a military assault on Taiwan. It also contained data about fighter aircraft and helicopters, hypersonic equipment, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and studies on the US and Chinese militaries. When asked about Schultz’s arrest and that of a Chinese software engineer detained this week for allegedly stealing artificial intelligence technology from Google, Beijing claimed it was “not aware of the specific circumstances” of the cases. However, spokesperson Mao Ning stated in response to the Google case that “China has consistently attached high importance to and actively protected intellectual property rights.”
“At the same time, we also oppose the United States abusing its national power to groundlessly suppress Chinese enterprises and Chinese citizens,” she said during a daily briefing. Schultz’s indictment comes just after two US Navy sailors were arrested in California on allegations of spying for China. Wenheng Zhao, a petty officer, was sentenced to 27 months in prison in January after pleading guilty to conspiracy with a foreign intelligence official and collecting bribes. Zhao and another US sailor, Jinchao Wei, were captured in August.