Former US soldier admits conspiring to provide sensitive military secrets to China

A former soldier accused of sending sensitive information on Army combat vehicles and rocket systems to China is awaiting sentencing after accepting a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Oregon.

Ruoyu Duan, 41, pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information, a Justice Department statement said Wednesday.

He had also been charged with bribery of public officials and receipt of stolen government property, the indictment states.

An Oregon resident, Duan served on active duty in the Army from 2013 to 2017, the statement said. It did not give his rank, assignments or military job.

Duan was accused of bribing service members and funneling technical manuals and information on Army computer systems, training, intelligence and battle plans to China between November 2021 and his arrest in March 2025, according to court records.

The information concerned weapons systems including the Bradley and Stryker armored combat vehicles and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, the Justice Department said.

The conspiracy began when Duan introduced Capt. Li Tian, a health administrator assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, to a source in Hong Kong, the plea agreement states.

Duan also recruited Joint Base Lewis-McChord supply sergeant Jian Zhao of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, according to court records.

Tian and Zhao also were charged in the case and are due back in court in October.

Authorities say Tian started writing papers on the Army for cash but then began supplying sensitive information directly to Duan.

Tian provided documents on Army Stryker brigades and technical manuals on the Bradley for more than $4,000, court records state.

Duan admitted to connecting Zhao with Chinese buyers and facilitating financial transactions, the plea agreement said.

Zhao provided technical manuals on the HIMARS, an encryption-capable military computer, hard drives marked secret and top secret, and documents detailing U.S. Army Pacific communications and battle plans regarding China. He was paid at least $15,000, records from his case state.

Duan’s sentencing is scheduled for December, and he faces up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department statement said.