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Former senior Army officer indicted for sharing defense secrets with woman in Ukraine he met on dating website

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The Justice Department (DOJ) accused a former senior Army officer assigned to U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) of giving out classified defense secrets to a woman he met on a foreign dating website in an indictment unsealed Monday night. According to the indictment, David Franklin Slater, who had retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, allegedly sent information labeled SECRET from approximately February to April 2022.

Slater was working as a civilian employee for STRATCOM, which oversees U.S. nuclear forces, where he held a Top Secret security clearance and had access to sensitive briefings about Russia’s war against Ukraine. The individual receiving the information claimed to be a woman from Ukraine.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reports:

The woman called Slater her “secret informant love” and her “secret agent,” according to a transcript of their exchanges included in the indictment.

She frequently asked him to provide “sensitive, non-public, closely held and classified” defense information, the DOJ said in a press release. Some of that information pertained to military targets related to Russia’s war in Ukraine and U.S. information on Russian military capabilities.

“American Intelligence says that already 100% of Russian troops are located on the territory of Ukraine. Do you think this information can be trusted?” the conspirator asked on March 7, 2022, the first request mentioned in the indictment.

Others followed on a regular basis.

“By the way, you were the first to tell me that NATO members are traveling by train and only now (already evening) this was announced on our news. You are my secret informant love! How were your meetings? Successfully?” the conspirator messaged Slater on March 15, 2022.

Another request for classified information in March was signed, “You are my secret agent. With love.”

In each of the cases, Slater provided the requested secret information, the indictment alleges.

“Sweet Dave, the supply of weapons is completely classified, which is great!” the conspirator told Slater in on April 12.

Authorities arrested Slater on Saturday, according to a press release accompanying the indictment. The DOJ charged Slater with one count of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts of unauthorized disclosure.

He was set to make his first court appearance on Tuesday; if convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000, according to the DOJ.

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China

Pentagon Report Reveals China’s Rapid Nuclear Expansion, Doubling Previous U.S. Estimates

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China’s nuclear arsenal has surged to over 500 warheads—more than double the previous U.S. estimate—according to a newly released Pentagon intelligence report. This “rapid expansion” is raising alarm among U.S. officials as Beijing aggressively accelerates its military capabilities and steps up hostilities toward allied states in the Pacific.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that in 2020, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessed that China had amassed roughly 200 nuclear warheads and projected that the count could reach 400 by 2030. But the latest findings show China has already far exceeded that estimate, and the Pentagon now believes China could have over 1,000 operational warheads by 2030.

According to the report, China’s current nuclear build-up represents the most rapid and ambitious modernization effort in its history, indicating the nation’s long-term strategy for sustained competition with the U.S. and signaling an operational readiness for intensified strategic concepts. China’s arsenal, composed of various nuclear warheads, can be launched from a range of platforms, including submarines, ground-mobile systems, and aircraft. The DIA report also notes that China is building additional facilities for the production of fissile materials to further scale up its nuclear arsenal.

The report suggests that China remains committed to a “no first use” nuclear policy—meaning it would only launch a nuclear strike in retaliation. However, China’s “launch-on-warning” policy enables it to strike back preemptively if it detects an incoming attack.

“China is fielding new nuclear capabilities at a faster pace than at any time in its history,” the DIA report reads, emphasizing the military’s objective to achieve parity with the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Despite Beijing’s statements about maintaining a defensive posture, the Pentagon warns that China’s rapid nuclear advancements could lead to an increased risk of miscalculation.

The Pentagon report highlights China’s growing capability and confidence, suggesting that Beijing’s bolstered nuclear deterrence over the next decade could embolden its leaders. This, in turn, increases the risk of miscalculations and escalations as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) builds up the capability to counter the U.S. across various domains.

A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. downplayed concerns, pointing to America’s extensive nuclear arsenal as a primary security risk. “China is committed to a defensive nuclear strategy and a policy of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons and keeps our nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security,” the spokesperson told the DCNF.

The report also reflects a lack of transparency in U.S.-China relations, with military talks largely suspended since 2022 and only resuming recently. This limited communication between the nations further fuels apprehension within the international community.

China’s nuclear expansion aligns with its broader military ambitions under President Xi Jinping, who has ordered the PLA to be prepared for a possible invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Although the U.S. maintains a “strategic ambiguity” policy toward Taiwan—meaning it does not disclose how it would respond to a Chinese invasion—the potential for conflict has heightened as China’s military power grows.

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