U.S. Soldiers Accused of Selling HIMARS Secrets to China - Militarnyi

U.S. Soldiers Accused of Selling HIMARS Secrets to China

U.S. Soldiers Accused of Selling HIMARS Secrets to China
M142 HIMARS. Photo from open sources
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Two U.S. Army soldiers and one former soldier were arrested on Thursday, charged with selling military secrets to buyers in China.

The information allegedly sold includes details about HIMARS rocket systems and armored vehicles, reported CNNs.

The two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, Jian Zhao and Li Tian, were stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Zhao, a battery supply sergeant, was assigned to the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, while Tian served as a health services administrator. The former soldier, Ruoyu Duan of Hillsboro, Oregon, served in the Army from 2013 to 2017.

Tian and Duan were both charged with “conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.” Zhao faces the same charge and is also indicted for obtaining and transmitting “national defense information” to an “unnamed individual not authorized to receive it.”

According to the indictment, Zhao is accused of selling nearly two dozen classified hard drives marked “Secret” or “Top Secret,” as well as sensitive U.S. military documents and information pertaining to HIMARS rocket systems to buyers in China.

The sergeant also allegedly obtained and sold information related to the U.S.’s military readiness in the event of a conflict with China.

The indictment stated Zhao received payments totaling at least $15,000 from August 2024 onwards.

A separate indictment in the U.S. District of Oregon noted that between November 2021 and at least December 19, 2024, Duan and Tian conspired together to steal and transmit sensitive military information on the U.S. Army’s operational capabilities, including technical manuals.

The indictment alleges Tian also sent Duan links to Google Drive accounts containing sensitive information on U.S. military weapons systems, such as Bradley and Stryker U.S. Army fighting vehicles.

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

In August 2024, Sgt. Korbein Schultz, who was an intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in court to selling classified information.

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