It has just now come to light that Lieutenant Commander Edward C. Lin of the US Navy has been charged with espionage, purportedly to assist the Chinese government.
A Taiwanese native and naturalized US citizen, Lin now faces an investigation from both the FBI and the NCIS.
His charges include undisclosed foreign travel, hiring a prostitute, and sharing sensitive information with reason to believe it would benefit a foreign nation.
Details about what specific information may have been compromised are not yet available, but Lin’s background in maritime surveillance and signals intelligence provide a clue.
He worked with some of the Navy’s most sensitive material regarding the collection of signals intelligence, so the implications could be big.
From the United States Naval Institute:
The specifics of how the U.S. gathers signals from potential adversaries are among the military’s most closely guarded secrets. Knowing the methodology for how the U.S. gathers signals intelligence – information that Lin would likely have with his Aries II experience – could allow adversaries to devise ways to counter U.S. monitoring.
Lin was arrested last summer and is being held at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Accused Spy Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin Was a Trained Nuclear Specialist, Navy Congressional Liaison https://t.co/rcStERE1Wf #USNINews
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) April 11, 2016
Charging docs say Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin "wrongfully transported material classified as Secret." https://t.co/zl8Jb23ihm
— NPR (@NPR) April 11, 2016
Wow RT @willcollier: In case you weren't sure, this is really bad. https://t.co/EgQzVYN61N
— Melissa Mackenzie ? (@MelissaTweets) April 11, 2016
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