Navy Admiral Says There’s A Surge in Foreign Nationals Attempting to Infiltrate US Military Bases
US Fleet Forces Commander Daryl Caudle expressed concern over the increasing frequency of foreign nationals attempting to gain unauthorized access to US military bases in a recent interview with Fox News.
According to Caudle, these attempted infiltrations are occurring “two or three times a week” at Navy bases alone, with more than 100 attempts by Chinese nationals last year. But they’re not just Chinese, “This is Russian, it’s Chinese it comes from all these different nations,” Caudle said.
The perpetrators, often claiming to be tourists, have been caught engaging in suspicious activities such as scuba diving near Cape Canaveral, wandering onto missile launch sites in New Mexico, and even attempting to drive onto military bases in Virginia. While most of these individuals are cited and fined for trespassing, the underlying motives behind their actions remain unclear.
The issue has been further complicated by an 8,000 percent increase in Chinese nationals crossing the southern border over the last three years, with more than 24,000 intercepted in the current financial year.
This surge has raised concerns among officials like Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Republican from Wisconsin, who believes that foreign countries may be exploiting the current border situation to gather intelligence on American military bases.
In January, the Navy was shaken by the arrest and sentencing of Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, who was caught spying for China at Naval Base Ventura County in California. Another naturalized citizen, Jinchao Wei, was also arrested aboard the USS Essex and faces trial on spying charges in December.
While the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC has dismissed these claims as “ill-intentioned fabrications,” the growing number of incidents has prompted calls for increased vigilance and a re-evaluation of current security measures at US military installations.
These claims may also be putting people on edge. A soldier from Fort Liberty in North Carolina fatally shot a man, believed to be a Chechen national, he allegedly found trespassing on his property.
According to Moore County’s sheriff’s office, the man, identified as 35-year-old Ramzan Daraev from Chicago, was a subcontractor for Utilities One but was not wearing a uniform or an ID, or carrying any equipment during the time of the incident. The soldier who shot the man, reported to be a member of the special operations unit at Fort Liberty, believed Daraev was taking pictures of his family.
“We are aware of the incident in Carthage involving a USASOC soldier. This incident remains under investigation. Per policy, we do not comment on active investigations to protect the process’ integrity. We appreciate the dedication of the Moore County Sheriff’s Department as they investigate,” Fort Liberty said in a statement.
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