Pentagon’s charge: “Beijing is using our military to fill gaps in its military”

The Chinese government is trying to fill some gaps in its military apparatus. To do so, he thought it best to go unnoticed and ask his boss for help Competitor On the international stage: America. In a classified document obtained by , the complaint comes directly from the Pentagon The Washington Post. According to the US Department of Defense, the Chinese military is conducting a campaign of “exploitation” of current and former members of the US military. In a memo distributed to airmen, the Pentagon said Beijing’s military uses foreign companies with which it has business ties that employ “military personnel trained in the United States and NATO.” So far it is unclear how many US military personnel have been involved, but there is some concern in Washington about “a worrying escalation of these activities”. For the US, this is primarily a security issue. “Those who accept contracts with these foreign companies are putting our national security, their fellow soldiers and American citizens at risk,” said Air Force chief and soon-to-be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. writes. Replaced General Mark Milley in the memo.

Beijing Recruitment

Members — and former members — of the military cooperating with Beijing have been asked, in some cases unbeknownst to them, to teach them advanced military skills and tactics. The figures requested by China will include not only pilots, as has already happened in the past, but also former maintainers of space equipment and landing signal officers for military aircraft. The Pentagon memo appears to be a warning to Air Force members. A pilot, for example, expressed The Washington Post In the past I received a recruitment plan from a South African company but never noticed anything suspicious. “They may seem very reasonable, I didn’t realize it until I had a little more basic knowledge – the officer explained to the American newspaper -. I want to say that I was a little proud that he escaped detection of me for almost two years.”

Response from the Chinese Embassy

Scoop follows The Washington Post, Liu Pengyu – a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington – did not deny the statements of General Brown and the Pentagon. In a statement released today, the Chinese government urged the US to “respect the normal business activities carried out by relevant companies and not to generalize and abuse the concept of national security and related companies”. In recent years, the Chinese embassy report added, US officials have been “quick to blame China”, endangering “normal exchanges and cooperation” between the two countries, which is “not conducive to the healthy development” of bilateral relations.

Photo credit: EPA/Shawn Thew | General Charles Q. Brown Jr., head of the Air Force and soon to be America’s new chief of staff