Navy Lt. Cmdr charged with Espionage

A US Navy Lt. Commander based at NAS Norfolk has been charged with espionage in a military court. The officer who remained unnamed, was assigned to a patrol and reconnaissance group. He has been charged with two counts of espionage, and three counts of attempted espionage, three counts of making false official statements, five counts of communicating defense information, prostitution-patronizing, adultery, violations of a lawful general order, and failure to obey, after communicating secret information "relating to the national defense to representatives of a foreign government", but no specifics as to what was transmitted or who it was transmitted to. It was also reported that on several occasions of travelling to a foreign country, he reported an incorrect address where he would be staying.

The officer is assigned to the command that provides ASW, anti-surface warfare, and maritime ISR from P-8, P-3, and eventually MQ-4 aircraft. It's not clear if he was assigned to the Hampton Roads facility that commands the units or not. The units operate out of Florida, Washington, and Hawaii.

A Navy officer assigned to a patrol and reconnaissance group has been charged in military court with two counts of espionage, punishable by the death penalty under certain conditions.

The lieutenant commander is being held at the brig in Chesapeake and appeared at the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing at Norfolk Naval Station on Friday, according to the Navy. The officer’s identity has not been released, and charge sheets detailing his alleged crimes were heavily redacted.

The charge sheets say the officer communicated secret information “relating to the national defense to representatives of a foreign government.” The documents do not specify what information was provided, when it was provided or which nation it was provided to.

Navy officer charged with espionage in military court at Norfolk Naval Station

What kind of intel does he manage? Something usefull in a sneak attack or tech?

Also is adultery a crime in USA or is that a military crime?

a reply to: Indigent

Adultery is a military crime.

As for what he manages, it's not clear, but he works with units that perform antisubmarine and antisurface warfare, as well as gathering intelligence on ships and subs as they travel around, including near the US. A lot of nations would love to now how we handle all three of those, what we can and can't see, and how to avoid the aircraft we use.

Sometimes I wonder how it works, someone is not satisfied and goes to a government? Where an embassy??? Does a government pick someone they identify as having potential info? Does they plant them before they start their carrier?

When you are a traitor how do you trust anyone to be who they say they are and not a trap to get you? How a government trust the guy is legit and not feeding false information.

It must be a very miserable life in all ends.

Weird mental gymnastics to justify being a traitor, unless planted from the beginning, that's not a traitor...

a reply to: Indigent

Sometimes when they're overseas, someone will give them a little here, a little there and gradually lead them into it. A naval officer was charged recently because he accepted free hotel rooms, and hotel upgrades, in return for steering carrier battle group visits to specific ports run by companies that belonged to a businessman there. I think it was in Malaysia or somewhere in that area. It starts small, and works up to actual intel information usually.

Crap, I do that stuff almost every day.

originally posted by: Indigent
Sometimes I wonder how it works, someone is not satisfied and goes to a government? Where an embassy??? Does a government pick someone they identify as having potential info? Does they plant them before they start their carrier?

When you are a traitor how do you trust anyone to be who they say they are and not a trap to get you? How a government trust the guy is legit and not feeding false information.

It must be a very miserable life in all ends.

Weird mental gymnastics to justify being a traitor, unless planted from the beginning, that's not a traitor...

I feel like, once you take an oath...you are compelled to act in a trustworthy manner.

It seems like an extreme position, and maybe so, I have a patriotic background in my family. However, the final word on the subject could be expressed by an entire army of defected Russian soldiers, under a former Soviet general, fighting as fully equipped Pro-Nazis in the Caucasus.

The story of Alaric I also gives us even deeper insight into the personal reasons for treason.

en.wikipedia.org...

Alaric is best known for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire.
Alaric began his career under the Gothic soldier Gainas and later joined the Roman army.

Alaric apparently hoped he would be promoted from a mere commander to the rank of general in one of the regular armies. He was denied the promotion, however. According to Jordanes, a 6th-century Roman bureaucrat, both the new king and his people decided "rather to seek new kingdoms by their own work, than to slumber in peaceful subjection to the rule of others."

a reply to: Zaphod58

Do you have a good guess as to what other country was involved?

Part of me wonders . . . why they punish lower level blokes when the oligarchs and senior puppets at the top are sharing willy nilly among all the major players . . . like Clinton with China . . . Sigh.

I hate double standards.

I hate treason, too.

Uh oh ... am experiencing the ATS lensing effect.

Somebody collecting human intelligence on our subs = higher Counterintelligence alert status.

Some vague references to such activity = great potential for a near-term false flag.

Pretty sad situation actually. An O-4, with at least ten years of service, screwing over his own country for personal gain. This is, hopefully, one of those situations where he's not offered the opportunity to resign rather than face Courts-Martial.

Jeez, do you thing he might have had his own private servers and used un-secured hand held devices ?

a reply to: Snarl

rats i have been spotted, better act casual...

a reply to: Indigent

Too late. Your casual elicitation technique was previously identified and your name has been listed.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE

I am wondering and thinking that there is a new tool in the information war that could make OP's story small in comparison .We are seeing the Panama papers with lots of names and $$ attached to them and then we see this story "Putin to Declassify Documents That Bear Some "Very Interesting Names" www.fort-russ.com... Not sure but one would think that there will be some names exposed ... ""And he quietly added: "This, as far as I know, according to the information from archive agencies, concerns the period from 1930 to 1989. In these documents there are cases, excuse me, of snitches as well as the innocently repressed, with very interesting names, some documents will surprise society...""

a reply to: BO XIAN

My money is on either China or Israel, but probably China.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: BO XIAN

My money is on either China or Israel, but probably China.

I'd bet Russia based on the MO.

a reply to: Snarl

Oddly, I had a similar thought.

And, given the East Coast . . . maybe slightly more inclined to think of Russia.

Though China seems to take every opportunity, everywhere . . .

a reply to: BO XIAN

The East Coast is home to the headquarters for all the maritime patrol units, so if course it's more likely to be where it happens. Whether that has anything to do with who it was, we'll see.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Do you think that we've turned a corner and the bad guys really are gonna go down and down hard? But then I have this huge cynical side ..... I mean friggin massive... that says, they're gonna skate again...... F$CK IT! I'm gonna be positive!!!

This is not good, a specialty as regards surface naval warfare and ISR. Both the Russians and especially the Chinese are expanding their surface navies, eager to challenge the U.S. in the Mediterranean and in the China Sea. When GWB was in office he sent 10 carrier battle groups (that's right, ten) to monitor a Chinese military exercise in the Straights of Taiwan. The Chinese were reportedly furious, and began their military planning to defeat a force at least that large within a decade. They might be there by now. They are certainly "island hopping" in an odd way, just plunking down new airfields in the sea wherever there's a shallow spot. My bet is our boy was dealing with the Chinese. It's the ISR that bothers me most. According to a recent report I read, it's now possible to manipulate what the enemy sees on their radars in real time with the proper combination of electronic warfare, jamming and hacking. a reply to: Zaphod58

originally posted by: Indigent
Sometimes I wonder how it works, someone is not satisfied and goes to a government? Where an embassy??? Does a government pick someone they identify as having potential info? Does they plant them before they start their carrier?

When you are a traitor how do you trust anyone to be who they say they are and not a trap to get you? How a government trust the guy is legit and not feeding false information.

It must be a very miserable life in all ends.

Weird mental gymnastics to justify being a traitor, unless planted from the beginning, that's not a traitor...

Ask Bradley Manning. Of course Bradley was doing what he believed was right and fell into a trap. This Navy commander, I am not sure what his motovations are. I cannot think of one that would morally justify sharing the information he would have with a foreign nation. It would have to be for money or to someone was bribing him with knowledge of adultry. Both those scenarios are not something someone seeks out. His initial actions would have been out of what he believed was necessary and every action there after was a compounded necessity.

Something tells me that deep down he is glad he was caught cause your right, that is no way to live unless you signed up for it and were trained accordingly.