A U.S. Army soldier stationed in Texas with top-level security clearance has been charged with attempting to share sensitive military information about the nation’s primary battle tank in exchange for Russian citizenship.
Taylor Adam Lee, 22, was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license, federal prosecutors announced.
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” said Brig. Gen. Sean F. Stinchon, commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command.
According to prosecutors, Lee believed he was communicating with a Russian intelligence officer when he offered to hand over classified data in exchange for citizenship in Russia.
At the time, Lee was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, the Justice Department said.
In June, he allegedly sent details online regarding the M1A2 Abrams tank and expressed willingness to help Russia, writing, “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses” and, “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I’m there in any way.”
Prosecutors say that in July, during a meeting with the individual he believed to be a Russian government representative, Lee handed over an SD card containing documents and data on the Abrams tank, another armored fighting vehicle, and combat operations. Several files reportedly contained technical information he was not authorized to share, while others were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information with dissemination restrictions.
Lee allegedly indicated that the data was sensitive and likely classified. He also discussed obtaining a specific piece of hardware from inside the Abrams tank to give to the Russian government. On July 31, he allegedly delivered what appeared to be that hardware to a storage unit in El Paso, later messaging the contact: “Mission accomplished.”
The FBI and Army counterintelligence units say the case underscores the serious risks posed by insider threats.
“Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland,” said FBI Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky. “The FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to protect Americans and safeguard classified information.”
Lee’s arrest coincided with another violent incident at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, allegedly shot and wounded five fellow soldiers in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area. All victims were treated on-site before being transported to Winn Army Community Hospital. Radford, an automated logistics sergeant assigned to the brigade, has been taken into custody.
