Army intel chief warns of foreign agents preying on troops hurt by government shutdown

The Army’s outgoing intelligence chief is warning about foreign agents posing as consulting firms or corporate recruiters who are targeting soldiers seeking civilian employment opportunities.

The email message from Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Hale, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, was sent to more than 1.1 million soldiers and civilian employees. It underscored the widespread nature of the threat and the need to protect sensitive information, military officials said.

Foreign governments are capitalizing on the recent government shutdown and lapse in appropriations to identify military personnel seeking employment opportunities, expressing dissatisfaction or describing financial dilemmas, Gen. Hale said in Monday’s message.

“They offer jobs or ‘easy’ money to write white papers or provide information with the intent to collect sensitive information for the benefit of their country at the cost of our own,” he said. “If the offer seems flattering, urgent, exclusive, or too good to be true, it probably is.”

Gen. Hale offered the example of former Army intelligence analyst Korbein Schultz, 25, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in April after pleading guilty to conspiring to collect and transmit top secret military information to someone he believed was affiliated with the Chinese government.

“This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States. Instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said afterwards.

Military personnel who hold security clearances are legally obligated to protect classified data after they leave government service. Any compensation from sources outside the U.S. government must be reported to a supervisor, Gen. Hale said.

Brig. Gen. Sean F. Stinchon, head of Army Counterintelligence Command, urged the troops to report any suspicious activity that might come from an adversary.

“The threat from foreign intelligence entities is real, persistent, and evolving,” Gen. Stinchon said in a statement. “We need every member of the Army team to remain vigilant and proactive in protecting themselves and their information.”

Gen. Hale is scheduled to retire from the Army at the end of the year. His successor, Maj. Gen. Michelle Schmidt, will be promoted to three-star general on Dec. 8.