American Naval Officer Sentenced to Prison for Disclosing Military Designs and Strategies to China

A US navy officer named Wenheng Zhao has been sentenced to over two years in jail for providing classified military information to China. The 26-year-old pleaded guilty in October to passing on sensitive data to Chinese intelligence in exchange for bribes. Mr. Zhao, who worked at a naval base in California, shared information about military exercises, operational orders, and critical infrastructure from 2021 to 2023. Specifically, he leaked details about the US Navy's large-scale drills in the Indo-Pacific region, along with electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system on the Japanese island of Okinawa. This base on Okinawa is crucial to US operations in Asia, and the country has deemed the Indo-Pacific region a key security priority. US authorities confirmed that information regarding other countries' naval drills was not compromised. Zhao, who had security clearance, illicitly accessed military and naval installations to collect and record information. He used sophisticated encrypted communication methods, destroyed evidence, and concealed his relationship with a Chinese spy. Over the course of his activities, he received at least 14 bribes totaling a minimum of $14,866. Zhao, a naturalized US citizen who was born in China, immigrated to the US in 2009, gained citizenship in 2012, and enlisted in the navy five years later. He was apprehended in California last August and pleaded guilty to the charges in October. On Monday, he was sentenced to 27 months in jail. The motive for his betrayal, other than financial gain, remains undisclosed. US Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen warned that China's intelligence services actively target clearance holders in the military to acquire sensitive government information by enticing them with money. Olsen reiterated the US authorities' commitment to countering China's efforts to undermine national security. In a separate case, another member of the US Navy named Jinchao Wei, 22, was arrested last year on similar spying charges. It is unclear if the same Chinese agent was involved in both cases. The Chinese embassy in Washington has claimed to be unaware of the details surrounding Zhao's case and accused the US government and media of sensationalizing espionage cases, which it believes are based on baseless allegations.