A Researcher Arrested in California for Stealing Sensitive Military Files for China

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Chinese-American researcher for stealing sensitive military files, including technology used for detecting nuclear missile launches. The department stated on Wednesday, February 7, that Cheng Wang Gong, 57, a resident of San Jose, California, was arrested on Tuesday, February 6. According to AFP, Gong, who became a U.S. citizen in 2011, is accused of transferring over 3,600 files from a research and development company to personal storage devices during a short period of employment. The name of the company was not disclosed. Court documents indicate that the copied files include designs for producing infrared sensors used in space systems to identify nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The files contain designs for sensors that enable U.S. military aircraft to detect heat-seeking missiles and take countermeasures. Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney, stated that Gong had previously sought to provide information to the People's Republic of China to assist its military. Estrada said, 'We know that foreign actors, including the People's Republic of China, are actively seeking to steal our technology, but we will remain vigilant against this threat by protecting the innovations of American businesses and researchers.' According to court documents, Gong worked as a circuit design manager for infrared sensors from December 2022 to March 2023 at an unnamed company. The U.S. Department of Justice also mentioned that two Iranians have been charged in another case related to sensitive technology. Abolfazl Bazazi, 79, and his son, Mohammad Reza Bazazi, 43, have been charged in New York with violating U.S. export laws by exporting equipment used in the aerospace industry to Iran between 2008 and 2019. Bryon Pease, the U.S. Attorney, stated that the two had devised a complex plan to evade U.S. export laws and gain access to equipment and technology for export to Iran and delivery to the Iranian government. Pease said, 'The defendants attempted to acquire items for commercial and military aircraft from several American companies supplying the military, aerospace, and firefighting industries.' The father and son currently reside in Iran and are free. An American lawmaker warned that the arrest of Iranian spies in the U.S. is just the tip of the iceberg. Iran, Russia, and China are the three major countries active in economic espionage against the U.S. The article also mentions other espionage-related incidents, including the identity disclosure of a Russian military spy who hacked the 2016 Democratic campaign, and various arrests and legal actions against espionage activities involving Iranian and Israeli entities.