On Tuesday, October 28, the United States Federal Court sentenced former Army intelligence officer Joseph Daniel Schmidt to four years in prison, along with three years of supervised release. He was charged with attempting to provide national defense secrets to the Chinese Communist Party and illegally possessing classified information.
At 31 years old, Schmidt previously served as the Human Intelligence Collection Chief for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 109th Military Intelligence Troop in Washington state. He was responsible for supporting intelligence operations for the First Corps under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command from 2015 to 2020, holding security clearances at the levels of “Confidential” and “Top Secret.”
The U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour approved Schmidt’s plea agreement back in July, which included charges of “attempted provision of defense information” and “unlawful retention of defense information.”
During his service, Schmidt reportedly studied Chinese and made at least one trip to China while on active duty. Upon retiring in early 2020, he began actively engaging with Chinese intelligence agencies.
He first contacted the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and traveled to Istanbul in an attempt to make contact with intelligence personnel. Schmidt then reached out to Chinese security agencies and official media through email, offering to provide a device that could access U.S. military secure systems and expressing willingness to become their source of intelligence or security information.
In March of the same year, he relocated to Hong Kong and made multiple visits to Beijing to once again try to establish contact with Chinese intelligence agencies and media outlets. While there is no evidence he successfully met with them, federal investigators obtained records of his communications and online searches related to spy techniques.
In October 2023, U.S. authorities in Seattle issued an arrest warrant for Schmidt. Since his Chinese visa was not renewed, he was arrested upon arrival at San Francisco Airport from Hong Kong on October 6. Initially denying the charges, his defense argued his mental fitness for trial, but the court ruled in February 2025 that he was competent to stand trial.
Prosecutors revealed that Schmidt had told his sister in an email: “I learned some terrible things while in the military, no longer feel the U.S. is safe, and no longer wish to support the U.S. government.”
U.S. Federal Prosecutor Neil Floyd stated, “A former soldier attempting to sell information and access to classified information to a hostile nation is an unforgivable act.” He emphasized that combating defense espionage cases remains a top priority for the Department of Justice.
Major General Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of the Army Counterintelligence Command, characterized the case as not merely a mistake but a “serious breach of trust.” He noted, “This individual violated the oath to defend the country, betraying comrades for personal gain and posing a threat to missions and security.”
The Schmidt case is considered a significant example in recent years of espionage cases involving the U.S. military and China, highlighting the escalating power struggle between the two nations in the intelligence and national security domains.