Pinehurst Today

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking information on how the Department of Defense is addressing a recent increase in incidents involving foreign nationals attempting to infiltrate U.S. military installations or spy on military personnel.

This inquiry follows a study from Duke University revealing that personal information of U.S. military members, including addresses and health status, is available for purchase, raising significant national security concerns surrounding Fort Liberty. In response, Rep. Hudson has engaged with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and cosponsored H.R. 6573—a bill aimed at protecting servicemembers’ information.

Most recently, two Chechen nationals were involved in potentially suspicious surveillance activity near an Army Special Forces soldier's property close to Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg.

Rep. Hudson was joined by Reps. Pat Fallon (TX-04) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) in this letter to Secretary Austin.

The letter states: "We write to express our concern regarding recent incidents of foreign nationals attempting to infiltrate United States military bases. Several of our installations are strategic power projection platforms or places where important or sensitive activity occurs."

The representatives highlight that these locations are surveillance targets for foreign nationals aiming to collect data on installation operations and personnel, placing servicemembers, their families, and Department of Defense personnel at risk.

"We fear that we are amid increases in intelligence-gathering and surveillance activity from foreign adversaries and are ill-prepared to respond," the letter continues.

To address these concerns, the representatives request a briefing from the Department of Defense on several points:

1. The DOD's assessment on trends related to foreign national intelligence activities targeting U.S. military personnel and domestic bases.

2. Identification of which bases, assets, or groups are most targeted by foreign nationals.

3. Clarification on how many situations are misunderstandings versus real counterintelligence operations handled by DOD and FBI.

4. Details on how DOD collaborates with other departments such as FBI and DHS in combating counterintelligence threats.

5. Information on training provided to military members for detecting and responding to infiltration attempts.

6. Identification of resources or additional authorities needed by the Department to combat these threats effectively.

The letter concludes with gratitude for attention to this issue: "Thank you for your attention to this important issue, and we look forward to learning more about the current strategy in place and ways Congress can provide further support."