A U.S. Army analyst has been apprehended and accused of selling classified military information to a contact in China.

Sgt. Korbein Schultz was arrested on Thursday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky following an investigation conducted by the FBI and U.S. Army counterintelligence.

The charges indicate that he received $42,000 (£33,000) in exchange for numerous sensitive security records.

Authorities state that the illicit conspiracy commenced in June 2022 and persisted until his arrest.

Sgt. Schultz faces charges including 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.

It remains uncertain whether he has retained legal representation to provide comments on the charges against him.

“The conduct alleged in today’s indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country,” said Larissa Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Instead of safeguarding national defence information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security.”

The accused individual reportedly shared classified documents with a contact whom he believed to be residing in Hong Kong, according to officials, Newsweek reported.

The information he allegedly disclosed encompasses details on hypersonic equipment, studies regarding the future development of U.S. military forces, and a document on China’s military readiness.

The charging documents from the Department of Justice do not explicitly implicate the Chinese government in the scheme, nor do they reveal the identity of the individual who compensated him.

The indictment states that he was directed to transmit “original and exclusive documents” to this contact.

The intelligence provided includes data related to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, insights into the “operability of sensitive U.S. military systems and their capabilities,” as well as U.S. contingency plans concerning Taiwan in the event of an attack.

Written by B.C. Begley