U.S. Army Soldier Arrested for Alleged Attempt to Share Tank Secrets with Russia

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A 22-year-old active-duty U.S. Army soldier has been arrested on charges of espionage and attempting to export military secrets to Russia, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Taylor Adam Lee, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, is accused of attempting to transmit sensitive national defense information—specifically on the U.S. Army’s M1A2 Abrams battle tank—to an individual he believed was a Russian intelligence officer, in exchange for Russian citizenship.

According to court documents, Lee held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance and began efforts to contact the Russian Ministry of Defense as early as May 2025. He is alleged to have provided technical data and operational information about U.S. armored vehicles, including the M1A2 Abrams, and combat tactics.

In a covert meeting in July 2025, Lee allegedly handed over a secure digital (SD) card containing military documents—some marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)—to a person he believed represented the Russian government. He provided a full briefing on the card’s contents and emphasized their sensitivity and likely classified nature.

“Lee allegedly violated his duty to protect the United States in favor of providing national defense information to the Russian government,” said Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect U.S. national security and bring to justice those who seek to undermine it.”

The investigation revealed Lee later attempted to deliver a piece of hardware from inside the Abrams tank to a storage unit in El Paso. After doing so, he reportedly messaged the presumed Russian contact, saying, “Mission accomplished.”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated that the case represents a serious threat to U.S. defense integrity: “The defendant sought to transmit sensitive national defense information to Russia regarding the operation of the M1A2 Abrams, our nation’s main battle tank.”

Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, commander of Army Counterintelligence Command, called the arrest a “reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” adding that insider threats will be caught and prosecuted.

The FBI’s Washington and El Paso Field Offices are leading the investigation in collaboration with the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command. Trial Attorney Menno Goedman and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Brown and Mallory Rasmussen are prosecuting the case.

Espionage between the United States and Russia has been a defining feature of their adversarial relationship since the early 20th century. During the Cold War (1947–1991), both nations ran extensive spy networks, engaging in surveillance, infiltration, and intelligence gathering. The KGB and CIA became global symbols of clandestine operations, with high-profile cases like the Rosenbergs’ atomic spying, the U-2 incident, and the defection of Soviet and American agents shaping public perception.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, espionage efforts did not end. The Russian Federation continued intelligence activities targeting U.S. military, political, and technological assets. In recent years, tensions have intensified amid cyber-espionage campaigns, election interference allegations, and the arrests of spies and double agents on both sides.

This long-running espionage rivalry remains a central element of modern U.S.-Russia relations, reflecting deep mutual suspicion and strategic competition.