Pentagon Seeks Highly Secretive Economic Espionage Network to Counter China

The Pentagon is seeking to build a highly secretive economic espionage network using undercover agents, in a move that reflects intensifying competition between the United States and China.

The proposed network would focus on economic intelligence, placing covert operatives at the centre of an effort to strengthen Washington’s understanding of its rival.

The initiative faces legal and institutional challenges that could complicate its development. How those obstacles would be addressed remains unclear.

There are also concerns about the network’s effectiveness, raising questions over whether an undercover operation could deliver the intelligence the Pentagon seeks.

The proposal underscores the growing importance of economic intelligence in the US-China rivalry, while leaving unresolved questions about how such a sensitive programme would operate.