A 22-year-old U.S. soldier has been arrested and charged with attempting to pass sensitive military information about an American battle tank to Russia in exchange for citizenship. Knewz.com has learned that Taylor Adam Lee, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, tried to leak vulnerabilities of the M1A2 Abrams to the Russian government before being caught in an FBI sting operation.
U.S. soldier allegedly offered secrets to Russia
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that Lee had been charged under the Espionage Act and the Arms Export Control Act. According to court filings, he attempted to send classified information to Russia’s Ministry of Defence beginning in May. According to the Department of Justice, Lee, who held a top-secret security clearance, wrote online in June, “The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses. … At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way.” Investigators said the soldier specifically sought Russian citizenship in exchange for the intelligence.
How the U.S. soldier handed over classified materials to Russia
Court documents state that in July, Lee met in person with someone he believed to be a Russian government representative. During that meeting, he allegedly passed on an SD card containing documents on the Abrams tank, another armored vehicle, and details about combat operations. Prosecutors said Lee went further by discussing the delivery of a specific piece of hardware from inside the Abrams tank. On July 31, he reportedly placed the item in a storage unit in El Paso, Texas, and then messaged his contact, “Mission accomplished.” The Abrams M1A2 is a highly advanced combat system central to U.S. ground forces, and information about its vulnerabilities is among the military’s most tightly guarded secrets.
Lee accused of betraying the U.S.
An arrest warrant was issued in the El Paso federal court, and Lee made his initial court appearance the following day. Prosecutors accused Lee of “betraying” the U.S. and have used his arrest to send a warning to anyone else considering leaking military intelligence. Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s counter-intelligence division, said, “Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland.” Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, commanding general of Army counter-intelligence, also condemned the case, saying, “This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army. Soldiers who violate their oath and become insider threats will absolutely be caught and brought to justice.”
Foreign agents targeting U.S. servicemen
The Lee incident comes as the military struggles with foreign agents targeting U.S. servicemen to give up sensitive military information. According to reports, earlier this year, Chinese intelligence officers were accused of targeting a Navy sailor online and bribing him with thousands of dollars for classified information on radar systems and military exercises. In 2024, former Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaking classified material about the war in Ukraine on the messaging app Discord.
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Author: Samyarup Chowdhury
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