US authorities on Thursday said they arrested an Army intelligence analyst and soldier accused of conspiring to sell sensitive defence information to a foreign national.
Korbein Schultz was charged with "conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official," the Department of Defense (DoD) said in a press release.
Schultz is accused of having conspired with a foreign national, who claimed to live in Hong Kong and to be working for a geopolitical consulting firm based overseas, to disclose information relating to US national defence.
The information shared with the foreign national included "documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, studies on major countries such as the People’s Republic of China, and summaries of military drills and operations," the DoJ said.
Among other things Schulz, who possessed a Top Secret security clearance, was tasked with gathering information relating to Washington's potential plans in the event that Taiwan came under military attack, the indictment alleges.
Schulz is alleged to have conspired with the foreign national from June 2022 until his arrest on Thursday, receiving in exchange for the documents and information at least 14 payments that totalled about $42,000.
"The conduct alleged in today's indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country," said the FBI's Larissa Knapp. "Instead of safeguarding national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security."