China's military seeks to exploit U.S. troops, veterans, general warns

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

China’s military is conducting a sophisticated exploitation campaign designed to “fill gaps” in its capabilities by targeting current and former U.S. service members and harvesting specialized knowledge they’ve gained, a top general warned in a message obtained by The Washington Post.

The document was distributed to Air Force personnel on Friday. It marks the Pentagon’s most direct attempt yet to call out and counter what U.S. officials characterized as an aggressive ploy by Beijing to leverage international firms that hire Americans to teach advanced military skills and tactics.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who heads the Air Force and is President Biden’s nominee to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the message that foreign companies doing business with the Chinese government are “targeting and recruiting U.S. and NATO-trained military talent across specialties and career fields.”

“By essentially training the trainer, many of those who accept contracts with these foreign companies are eroding our national security, putting the very safety of their fellow servicemembers and the country at risk,” Brown wrote, appealing to the recipients’ sense of responsibility, even after leaving the armed forces, to protect “our national defense information.” Officials declined to identify how many U.S. troops and veterans are thought to have been targeted by the Chinese, saying only that they have seen a worrisome rise in such activity.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/09/08/china-military-exploit-us-troops-veterans/

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No paywall (gift)

[keithbvadu2]

1. Buying the expertise... legally.

[ancianita]

2. Of course it does, with Microsoft, Google, and Apple working within its borders.

With its hacking of both our state department ambassador and our commerce secretary, it's got a lot of ways to inflitrate the US military.

Doesn't mean they will actually succeed, though. Our military never reveals its full capabilities. It's all classified.

[dalton99a]

3. Kick

A special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, who like some others interviewed for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive national security matter, said that attempts by China’s military to exploit Americans have included marketing job openings to them that initially appear innocuous and approaching them directly at defense industry events.

While China routinely targets American pilots, the special agent said, veterans who’ve held a variety of other roles also are in demand. He cited former aerospace ground equipment maintainers and landing-signals officers as examples, jobs that entail handling specialized equipment and guiding pilots and their aircraft to safety.

The offers come from a mix of privately owned companies and those backed by the Chinese government, and are contracted by the Chinese government, officials said. The solicitations often include language that sounds customary in the defense sector, with references to consulting, advising or training.

A chief concern, the special agent said, is that some will rationalize that the work is legitimate even after they discover the connection to China’s military.

[Bayard]

4. I see this as giving aid and comfort to the enemy,

Even if China is not formerly declared one. Are there no laws prohibiting these actions?

I think sooner, rather than later, China will use this technology on Taiwan, which also means, the U.S.