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.
Spc. 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 by FBI agents in El Paso.
He served as a tank crewmember with the 1st Armored Division, which uses tanks and other armored vehicles, according to Fort Bliss. In this job, Lee would have access to and knowledge of tank functions, strengths, weaknesses and standard operations.
“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.”
Spc. Taylor Adam Lee, 22, was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, and charged with attempting to provide Russia with information about U.S. Army tanks and operations. ( Fort Bliss)
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 digital storage device 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.
