The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has raised alarms about equipment supplied by the Chinese firm Huawei, suggesting it could intercept and relay confidential U.S. military information to Beijing, including data tied to the country’s nuclear forces. The claim was reported by CNN.
CNN reports that federal investigators have been examining China’s purchase of land near critical infrastructure since 2017. A prominent regional Chinese consulate, viewed by the U.S. government as a potential hub for espionage, has been closed, and an official involved in thwarting attempts to place listening devices near key military and government sites has been removed from duty.
Among the most troubling findings cited by the FBI, the channel highlights Huawei equipment installed in cellular towers close to U.S. military bases in the Midwestern countryside.
“Based on conversations with multiple informed sources, CNN notes that the FBI believes the equipment could intercept and disrupt select Department of Defense communications, including lines used by the U.S. Strategic Command that oversees the nation’s nuclear arsenal,” CNN reported.
The report also indicates that concerns about Huawei gear near U.S. military installations had already been raised, though the full scope and results of the inquiry were not previously disclosed. More than a dozen sources, including current and former national security officials, told CNN that the investigation’s origins trace back to the Obama era, a detail CNN presents as part of the context surrounding the long-running inquiry.
It remains unclear whether any data from those towers was actually captured and funneled to Beijing. The CNN discussion emphasizes that proving a specific data packet was stolen and transmitted abroad presents a formidable technical challenge.
The Chinese government has denied any spying activities targeting the United States. Yet, according to CNN’s sources familiar with the matter, there is little doubt that Huawei equipment could monitor not only commercial cellular traffic but also the narrow radio bands involved in critical communications, potentially affecting U.S. Strategic Command operations and, by extension, access to parts of the nuclear enterprise.
Huawei has faced sanctions from the United States since 2019, driven by ongoing concerns about national security and potential risks to critical telecommunications networks.