Los angeles: Based to the Department of Justice, two active US Navy personnel have been detained on suspicion of spying for China.
The men are suspected of selling Beijing classified documents, including blueprints for a radar system, instructions for a sizable US military exercise, and manuals for warships and their weapons systems.
"These arrests are a reminder of the People's Republic of China's relentless, aggressive efforts to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it," said Suzanne Turner of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, which was engaged in the sting.
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In order to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardise US national security, China "compromised enlisted personnel."
The Department of Justice stated in a press release that sailor Jinchao Wei, who worked on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex in San Diego, had turned over dozens of documents, pictures, and videos describing how ships and their systems functioned.
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These included instruction books on mechanics and technology pertaining to his own vessel's armament. The 22-year-old, who is alleged to have received thousands of dollars in exchange for the information, could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty.
The Department of Justice claimed that Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, had spied for China from his perch at the Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, for nearly two years in a separate case.
Zhao is alleged to have received almost $15,000 from a Chinese intelligence agent in exchange for details regarding a significant US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific, including information regarding the timing and location of amphibious landings. Additionally, it is claimed that he gave away electrical schematics and radar system blueprints from a US military base in southern Japan, where the US has a sizable military presence.
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"The defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country," US Attorney Martin Estrada said. "By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state," Estrada added.
"Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his nation, in contrast to the vast majority of US Navy personnel who serve the nation with honour, distinction, and courage." Zhao could spend up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.