Chinese nationals pretending to be spies to get into U.S. Military bases
The Military and the FBI has tracked over 100 incidents of Chinese nationals trying to get into U.S. military bases and other federal installations. They pretend to be tourists who “missed out on some details.” For example, following navigation instructions to the nearest fast-food establishment located on the base, stranding into the wrong section of the base and taking pictures of sensitive areas, or deviating from guided White House tours to take pictures of communications equipment and Secret Service positions.
From Fox News:
Those responsible, dubbed “gate crashers,” range from Chinese nationals detected crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico, to scuba divers caught swimming in murky waters near a U.S. government rocket launch site in Florida, several U.S. officials recently told The Wall Street Journal. The growing trend represents a potential espionage threat, as authorities believe the Chinese government in some cases is compelling nationals into service in order to test out and report back about security practices at the installations.
The FBI, Department of Defense and other agencies held a review late last year centered around deterring these incidents. It is not known how many incidents were benign in nature. For example, some Chinese nationals claim to have been following Google Maps to the nearest McDonald’s or Burger King, which happens to be located on a nearby military base.
In other more concerning incidents, Chinese nationals arrived saying they had a reservation at a hotel on a military base. Recently, a group of Chinese nationals purporting to be tourists tried to force their way past guards at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, claiming they had reservations at a commercial hotel on the base, according to the Journal.
Fort Wainwright is home to the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division focused on Arctic warfare.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the Journal that in some cases Chinese nationals have achieved unauthorized access to military bases by speeding through security checkpoints. In those incidents, they are “often cited criminally, barred from future installation access and escorted off-base,” the spokesperson said.
Officials told the Journal the incidents have occurred in rural areas where tourism is less common and far from a commercial airport. They said the Chinese nationals often use what officials described as scripted language, claiming when stopped that they are tourists who have lost their way.
This type of low-level Chinese intelligence collection is more of a numbers game, a former Senate Intelligence Committee official told the Journal, explaining how the Chinese government is willing to throw numerous people at collection, knowing that if a few get caught it will be difficult for the U.S. government to prove anything nefarious beyond trespassing.
The same treatment of shrugging off the incidents as trespassing would not be afforded to Americans if they were caught doing the same inside China, the former official added.
Fox News has additional information here.
Category: China, International Affairs, Military issues
“pretending to be spies” is the PERFECT cover for getting in as a tourist.
The CCP should stop being so cheap. The Big Guy, Robert L. Peters, only requires a 10% cut plus traveling money for his bagman son.
Or you can dress up like a whore and fuck a congressman, right Swalwell?
If only America had a border and enforcement of immigration laws…
During the winter of 2020, while stationed on FT. McNair, an Asian male swam from Hains Pt across the Potomac onto the base. When captured and questioned, he stated he was just out for a swim. In December, in DC, where the water temperature is freezing cold and numerous signs warn trespassers away. He was released as a loon but I still believe he was a spy.
Very possible he was a spy… I was at McNair during that time period. Don’t recall hearing about it, but I was teleworking in Stafford most of the time and came down on local PCS orders in late winter. To be honest, I was probably so swamped with the endless FRAGOs for the Inauguration and COVID that I just missed it.
McNair is a bit of a security risk. Nothing super-duper top secret or whatever, but you have some high-level officers and NCOs who live there, the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, National Defense University, and the Eisenhower School. All surrounded on one side by the projects, one by sports arenas, and two by waterways. The area at the gas house by Building 41 is almost a jump away from the Titanic Memorial, and when the water’s low you can just about walk over. All guarded by DA Security Guards and Civilian Police and patrolled by MPs and DACP who move between Myer, Henderson Hall, and McNair. When Soleimani was taken out in January 2020, we had Old Guard Soldiers tasked with supplementing security.
Thinking about it from this viewpoint, it’s a shame that Alpha Company of The Old Guard was forced to move to Myer (in 2012, I believe). Building 47, the old barracks, was the sight of many memorable and storied moments, but is now just more office space for the JTF and MDW. Having an Infantry company in the District, with fully stocked Arms Room and the ability for 12th Aviation to deliver ammo with short notice, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. We might have been largely ceremonial, but every State of the Union address saw us in the Old Gym (former Chapel, I believe, from way back) with riot gear and weapons staged, Blackhawks on the parade field, and crates of ammo ready to be distributed if necessary.
“Achieved unauthorized access to military bases by speeding through security checkpoints. In those incidents, they are “often cited criminally, barred from future installation access and escorted off-base.” We (taxpayers) spent big money installing systems at the gates of these installations to prevent or stop such attempts. I’d like to know why someone who speeds through the checkpoint is just cited and not riddled with 5.56mm holes.
What Chris Rock cautions about equally should be a worry for such folk:
We have had a couple incidents o people speeding through the gate here at Selfridge ANGB in Michigan. They were shot dead!
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Chicoms are blatant. It’s obvious, they know we know and do it anyway because some of the stuff they get is useful. F*ckers.
We should be doing like the Chicoms would do, and make all of them disappear.
Drop them off in a remote section of a national park with what they are wearing, no cell phone, and tell them to hike out. No food, water or shelter provided. If they don’t become part of the food chain, they can then be disappeared when they reach civilization.
I’m thinking Alaska, late fall.
Bonus points for finding Alaska Bob’s missing mail carrier sled team.
If Cocaine Bear is running around, it might get interesting.
We have a few iron mines that aren’t in current use here in Minnesota…
My feral hogs and worm beds might enjoy some Chinese takeout. You know…just for a change in the menu.
And these are just the ones they actually caught. But hey, some folks that took an invited stroll into the Capitol Building will be locked up for several decades so at least that building is safe.
Looks like it needs a hate-crime charge added. They hate America so when caught, prosecute, find guilty, and send to certain Cuban facilities until rehabilitated.
Transphobia and racism are dominating too much of the discussion. Xenophobia needs to take its rightful place among SJWs so it would play well. We need more claims of xenophobia to balance out the landscape of social injustice.
Actually, when you think about it – having less claims of xenophobia is racist.
Actually, much like IDC SARC gives us an assessment on whether someone is “doable” we may need someone to step forward and help us decide what is racist or not, and why. It would be no surprise that 99.999% of the situations would be confirmed as racist, we just need to know why. Any takers for a TAH resident DEI expert?
Our Better from Berserkely is in obvious need of gainful employment.
If he can dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge the bullets in and around Oaklandistan long ‘nuf to submit a resumé I’d say move his application to the tippy top o’ the shit pile!
The sheer beauty of this is if we ever get accused of being homophobic, transphobic, or racist, then we can always say we have a program in place staffed by an expert.
That’s what regulators do for parasitic and monopolistic corporations and HR does for internal conflict mitigation…
If it’s good for them clearly it’d be criminal for us to implement!
I say ‘go for it’ anyway.
Well, Washington (Criminals, District of)…
Sounds like it’s time to Arm the Militia to repel an impending invasion!!
I request a M240, barrel bag and appropriate contents, M145, tripod with T&E, and 10k rounds.
I will be at the Nasty Girl armory at 16:00 to draw my lot.
I guess just shooting them when caught wouldn’t go over well.
Nah. Capture, contain, escort, THEN make them “disappear”. (shooting is a viable option, but a rope is recyclable)
Best BUDS!