Congressional Leaders Probe Chinese Communist Party's Espionage Threats

Strategic Insights -

Chairmen of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Representative August Pfluger (R-TX) and Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), have sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin probing the agencies' response to threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) identified in a Wall Street Journal exclusive. The letter highlights reports of Chinese foreign nationals, posing as tourists, attempting to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive U.S. sites up to 100 times in recent years.

These intrusions, described as a form of espionage, seem designed to test security practices at U.S. military installations and other U.S. government sites. The Chairmen mention specific incidents where Chinese nationals were detected crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico and others caught disguised as scuba divers swimming close to a rocket-launch site in Florida. Furthermore, a group of Chinese nationals attempted to bypass security guards at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, while claiming they were "tourists" with hotel reservations.

The Chairmen emphasize that these encounters appear more than innocent mistakes by foreign nationals on American soil. In fact, in June 2020, three Chinese foreign nationals were sentenced to prison for illegal photography of military sites at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida. The letter concludes that the CCP's persistent and multi-faceted threats to U.S. homeland security have intensified under the Biden-Harris administration.

Key Takeaways:

  • Chinese foreign nationals, posing as tourists, have attempted to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive U.S. sites up to 100 times in recent years.
  • These intrusions, described as a form of espionage, seem designed to test security practices at U.S. military installations and other U.S. government sites.
  • Specific incidents include Chinese nationals detained crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico and others disguised as scuba divers swimming close to a rocket-launch site in Florida.
  • A group of Chinese nationals attempted to bypass security guards at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, while claiming they were "tourists" with hotel reservations.
  • In June 2020, three Chinese foreign nationals were sentenced to prison for illegal photography of military sites at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida.
  • The Chairmen emphasize that these encounters are more than innocent mistakes by foreign nationals on American soil.
  • The CCP's persistent and multi-faceted threats to U.S. homeland security have intensified under the Biden-Harris administration.

Statistics:

  • Chinese foreign nationals, posing as tourists, have attempted to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive U.S. sites up to 100 times in recent years.
  • In June 2020, three Chinese foreign nationals were sentenced to prison for illegal photography of military sites at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida.

Sources:

  • Letter from Representative August Pfluger (R-TX) and Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
  • Wall Street Journal exclusive on Chinese nationals attempting to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive U.S. sites.