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A sign at the Fort Bliss entrance — “Buffalo Soldier Gate.”

A Fort Bliss soldier was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, after attempting to provide Russia with military combat operations and details on Army tanks that he gained through his top-secret security clearance, according to federal authorities. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

AUSTIN, Texas — A 22-year-old Fort Bliss soldier was arrested Wednesday after attempting to provide Russia with military combat operations and details on Army tanks that he gained through his top-secret security clearance.

Taylor Adam Lee is charged with attempting to transmit national defense information to a foreign adversary and exporting controlled technical data without a license, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Lee had his first appearance in federal court Wednesday following his arrest.

Fort Bliss did not immediately respond to a request Wednesday about the soldier’s rank and position at the west Texas Army base. It is home to the 1st Armored Division, which uses tanks and other armored vehicles.

“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commander of the Army Counterintelligence Command, said in a statement.

Beginning in May, Lee tried to provide his Army credentials and send U.S. defense information to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

In June, Lee used the internet to send technical information on the M1A2 Abrams tank to the Russian Federation and offer his assistance, according to federal prosecutors.

“The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” federal prosecutors said he told the Russians. “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I’m there in any way.”

The next month, Lee had an in-person meeting with a person he believed represented the Russian government and handed over a digital storage device, which he said held documents and information on the Abrams tank, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations.

Lee did not have the authorization to provide the information and throughout the meeting, he said the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified.

During and after the July meeting, Lee said he would get a specific piece of hardware from inside an Abrams tank for the Russian government. On July 31, he delivered what appeared to be the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso.

Afterward, he sent a message to his Russian government contact that read, “Mission accomplished.”

“Our enemies, both foreign and domestic, should be aware that we diligently investigate and aggressively prosecute these cases,” U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement.

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Rose L. Thayer is based in Austin, Texas, and she has been covering the western region of the continental U.S. for Stars and Stripes since 2018. Before that she was a reporter for Killeen Daily Herald and a freelance journalist for publications including The Alcalde, Texas Highways and the Austin American-Statesman. She is the spouse of an Army veteran and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. Her awards include a 2021 Society of Professional Journalists Washington Dateline Award and an Honorable Mention from the Military Reporters and Editors Association for her coverage of crime at Fort Hood.

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