JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A week after a U.S. Army Sergeant was arrested and accused of selling top-secret records to the Chinese government, a retired Navy pilot is weighing in on the possible repercussions this could have in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, home to thousands of military members.
U.S. Army Sergeant and Intelligence Analyst Korbein Schultz was arrested and charged with selling top-secret records to the Chinese government.
The Army recorded a video of Schultz back in 2021. That’s when he was part of a mission to help support 50,000 Afghan evacuees.
Fast forward three years later, Schultz is now a suspect in a federal criminal conspiracy case.
According to a 25-page indictment, Schultz sold top-secret military information to the Chinese government after he used his security clearance to access technical data which included the Air Force Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures or TTP.
This also included information about the F-22 Raptor — a fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter considered the crown jewel of the US Air Force because of its air dominance.
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Local retired Navy Pilot John Holzbaur said the Chinese have developed their version of a similar fighter jet, but it’s technologically nowhere near the F-22.
“It’s a complex piece of gear. It’s not just the aircraft itself. It’s the system’s integration and the stealth coatings that are their own special and mysterious compound,” Holzbaur said. “The Chinese want to say ‘Thanks for providing that information to us’ and allowing them to make a generational leap.”
Schultz is also accused of selling the Chinese information about military rescue helicopters, US ballistic missiles, and hypersonic weapons – or weapons capable of traveling more than five times the speed of sound.
The Chinese already have hypersonic weapons, but Holzbaur said the top-secret US information they have obtained can place American military pilots, sailors, and troops in harm’s way.
“Certain elements in the Chinese military have said hyper sonics, good luck defending against a missile that’s traveling at Mach 10 coming at your ship. And, by the way, not just one but a couple of dozens of them,” Holzbaur said.
According to the indictment, Schultz was paid $42,000 for the information he provided. The indictment also mentions a conversation he had with a Chinese operative who told him they had to be careful following the arrest of two US Navy sailors who got caught passing sensitive information to the Chinese Intelligence Service.
Holzbaur said all the secreted information allows the Chinese military to see how U.S. military assets work and how those assets are deployed. And because of this, he said every branch of the U.S. military has likely been forced to alter its tactics, techniques, and procedures.
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