Suspected Chinese spies disguised as tourists have repeatedly attempted to enter US military bases in Alaska in recent years, service members say.
The Chinese citizens have been apprehended trying to gain entry at bases like Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, where soldiers on one occasion searched a vehicle that had blown past a checkpoint and found a drone, according to troops who spoke with USA Today.
Many of the foreign nationals claimed to have gotten lost while driving around and taking in the sights of the Last Frontier, where the US houses sensitive military capabilities at the nation’s closest point to adversaries Russia, North Korea and China.
“We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said recently when asked about China’s spying during a recent visit to the state.
“We always live with the possibility of intrusion on our installations, and so we work very hard to make sure, working alongside state and local authorities and others, that those bases and installations are protected from threats,” she added. “We take a lot of measures to do that. And we’re going to make sure we can continue to protect our installation so our folks can perform their missions.”
The news comes at a time of heightened tension between the Pacific powers, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s aggression toward Taiwan and ambitions in the South China Sea have chilled relations. --->READ MORE HERE
Suspected Chinese spies disguised as tourists have made multiple attempts to infiltrate US military bases in Alaska, according to US officials.
The attempted breaches may be probes into US military activities in the state, soldiers familiar with the matter told USA Today.
On one recent occasion, a vehicle carrying Chinese citizens blew past a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.
The vehicle was stopped and the occupants claimed to be tourists but a search of their car revealed a drone
Most of the details of suspected Chinese spying incidents in Alaska remain classified and Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon's No. 2 official, refused to comment on the matter, except to say the military is taking a number of steps to ensure bases are secure.
During a recent visit to Alaska Hicks told reporters 'We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously.'
'We always live with the possibility of intrusion on our installations, and so we work very hard to make sure, working alongside state and local authorities and others, that those bases and installations are protected from threats.
'We take a lot of measures to do that. And we're going to make sure we can continue to protect our installation so our folks can perform their missions.' --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Lawmakers react to report of suspected Chinese spies attempting to enter Alaska military sites
Chinese Spies Posing as Tourists Tried To Infiltrate Alaskan Military Bases, Officials Say
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