Army intelligence analyst Korbein Schultz, 25, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to sell military information to China. He was a sergeant at Fort Campbell and was charged with conspiracy to disclose national defense information, exporting defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official. Schultz had top-secret clearance and conspired with an individual in Hong Kong suspected to be associated with the Chinese government to collect classified information related to U.S. military weapons systems in exchange for money.
FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells stated that hostile foreign governments like China aggressively target military personnel and national security information, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding sensitive information. Schultz is set to be sentenced on Jan. 23 and faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1 million fine for unlawfully exporting defense articles to China.
Some of the information Schultz sold included details on how the U.S. would respond to an invasion of Taiwan, the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea and the Philippines, and what the U.S. learned from Russia’s war with Ukraine. He received $42,000 in exchange for providing information about advanced military helicopters, rocket systems, defensive missile systems, and Chinese military tactics.
Schultz’s actions were described as putting national security at risk for personal gain. The FBI agent noted that Schultz tried to recruit a higher-ranking Army employee into his scheme with the Chinese co-conspirator to obtain more sensitive information. Overall, Schultz’s actions were seen as a betrayal of his oath and a breach of trust that endangered national security.
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