A U.S. sailor sold blueprints of the Kadena base radar system and other U.S. Navy information to China for $15,000

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 11.10.2023, 20:05
A U.S. sailor sold blueprints of the Kadena base radar system and other U.S. Navy information to China for $15,000

A US Navy serviceman sold unclassified military service information to China. The sailor, named Wenheng Zhao, pleaded guilty the day before.

Here's What We Know

The 26-year-old serviceman received a bribe of about $15,000 from a Chinese intelligence officer. For this, the American sailor gave the Chinese handler plans for US military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, operational orders and blueprints for a radar system at the USS Kadena base in Japan.

Wenheng Zhao was arrested in late summer. He had previously worked at the Ventura, California base. He now faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutor Martin Estrada said that the American betrayed his country and members of the US Navy.

Previously, the US has already accused China of espionage and organising cyberattacks on military infrastructure. The authorities of the Celestial Empire deny all accusations.

Source: Reuters