The FBI has unravelled that equipment built by Chinese company Huawei, installed on cell towers near US military bases, is capable of disrupting US nuclear arsenal communications, a media report said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discovered that the Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest could capture and disrupt highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by US Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons, CNN reported citing sources.
The findings of the investigation were based on the information provided by current and former national security officials.
However, it is difficult to determine whether the data was sent to Beijing from these towers as it was difficult to prove that a given package of data was stolen and sent overseas, media reported.
Even though China denied the allegations of spying on the US, several sources have said that the Huawei equipment has the ability to intercept commercial cell traffic along with highly restricted airwaves that are used by the military and can disrupt critical US Strategic Command communications, allowing the country to spy on America’s nuclear arsenal, it added.
“This gets into some of the most sensitive things we do. It would impact our ability to essentially command and control with the nuclear triad. That goes into the Bona Fide Determination (BFD) category. If it is possible for that to be disrupted, then that is a very bad day,” a former FBI official said.
US federal officials have conducted a probe into the land purchases made by China near critical infrastructure since 2017.
A high-profile regional consulate was also shut down by the US as it was believed to be a den of Chinese spies.
They also blocked several attempts aimed at planting listening devices near sensitive military and government facilities.
The investigation also discovered numerous red flags in a Chinese government deal to build an ornate garden.
The Chinese government offered USD 100 million to build an ornate Chinese garden at the National Arboretum in Washington DC in 2017.
The project included temples, pavilions and a 70-foot white pagoda and many people believed that it would attract thousands of tourists every year.
However, the pagoda would have been built on one of the highest points in Washington DC, which would be only two miles from the US Capitol, and thus it could become a perfect place for signals intelligence collection, CNN reported citing sources.
The sources added that the Chinese officials wanted to construct the pagoda by using the material shipped to the US in diplomatic pouches and the US customs officials were prohibited from inspecting it.
The project was cancelled before construction started.