Pentagon Seeks Secret Economic Spy Network to Counter China

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

The proposed effort would focus on gathering economic intelligence, bringing that sphere of rivalry more directly into the Pentagon’s intelligence work.

The initiative faces legal and institutional challenges that could complicate its development. Those obstacles leave questions about how such a network would be established and operated.

Concerns also surround its effectiveness. The proposal points to Washington’s growing interest in covert economic intelligence, but whether the planned network could deliver useful results remains uncertain.