People familiar with the initiative indicate that economic espionage has become a priority, though the Pentagon has historically struggled with human intelligence operations. Some critics argue that publicizing the intent to build such a program may endanger Americans currently operating abroad by alerting the Ministry of State Security in China.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Pentagon Seeks Deep-Cover Spy Program for Economic Warfare Against China
Geopolitics2 hours ago
U.S. intelligence priorities within the military are shifting toward the gathering of financial and industrial secrets to disrupt the growth of rival states. The Department of Defense is mulling a new or expanded deep-cover espionage capability to target China and other competitors as part of a broader strategy to conduct economic warfare, the Washington Post reported.
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