ID :
199215
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 02:23
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/199215
The shortlink copeid
Military secret leaks
The Korea Times
(Yonhap) - It is shocking to hear that a former Air Force chief of staff was indicted for leaking military secrets to a U.S. defense firm. Needless to say, leaking confidential military information is a grave crime posing a threat to the country???s defense system as well as to national security.
Ex-Air Force top general Kim Sang-tae and two other retired officers face charges of handing over classified information to Lockheed Martin on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010. They also allegedly received 2.5 billion won ($2.4 million) from the firm in exchange for military secrets.
The case shows that Kim, who served as the chief of staff from 1982 to 1984, has not only tainted his honor but also betrayed the nation for personal gain. How could a retired general like Kim sell confidential information to the American arms contactor? It is regrettable that Kim has no sense of responsibility for security. He must have lost his pride in more than 30 years of military service, yielding to the temptation of money.
Kim had collected military secrets since he began operating an arms brokerage in 1995. Disappointingly, he and his firm had served as a local agent for Lockheed Martin. He and the two other officers had worked together to obtain classified information from the military. Leaked information included the Air Force???s Joint Strategic Objectives Plan (JSOP) and budgeting and deployment plans for key weapons such as joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and fighter jets.
There is no doubt that Kim and two other suspects could not have access to classified information without collaboration from active-duty officers. They had mobilized their connections with the military to obtain secrets. Corrupt ties between retired officers and active members of the Armed Forces have long been a source of information leaks. Therefore, it is impossible to prevent such leaks without breaking those ties.
Last year, another retired general was arrested on charges of illegally gathering military secrets and passing them to a foreign arms supplier. All 25 cases of military secret leaks have been detected since 2005. Why have such cases continued to take place? Legal loopholes, light punishment for violators and rampant corruption are major reasons for the continued leaking of classified information.
It is no secret that defense contractors, both local and foreign, have recruited many retired officers in order to lobby procurement officials for the sale of their products. The contractors have been engrossed in obtaining crucial information on arms procurement and military buildup plans.
In order to crack down on leaks, it is imperative to ban officers from serving as arms brokers after they retire. The government and military should also enforce tougher rules and establish a more effective security system to safeguard confidential information.
Prosecutors and judges must set more stringent sentencing guidelines to have violators face harsher punishment for leaking military secrets. Lawmakers are also required to revise the National Security Law to make it possible to apply the law to those who leak military information.
(Yonhap) - It is shocking to hear that a former Air Force chief of staff was indicted for leaking military secrets to a U.S. defense firm. Needless to say, leaking confidential military information is a grave crime posing a threat to the country???s defense system as well as to national security.
Ex-Air Force top general Kim Sang-tae and two other retired officers face charges of handing over classified information to Lockheed Martin on 12 different occasions between 2004 and 2010. They also allegedly received 2.5 billion won ($2.4 million) from the firm in exchange for military secrets.
The case shows that Kim, who served as the chief of staff from 1982 to 1984, has not only tainted his honor but also betrayed the nation for personal gain. How could a retired general like Kim sell confidential information to the American arms contactor? It is regrettable that Kim has no sense of responsibility for security. He must have lost his pride in more than 30 years of military service, yielding to the temptation of money.
Kim had collected military secrets since he began operating an arms brokerage in 1995. Disappointingly, he and his firm had served as a local agent for Lockheed Martin. He and the two other officers had worked together to obtain classified information from the military. Leaked information included the Air Force???s Joint Strategic Objectives Plan (JSOP) and budgeting and deployment plans for key weapons such as joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and fighter jets.
There is no doubt that Kim and two other suspects could not have access to classified information without collaboration from active-duty officers. They had mobilized their connections with the military to obtain secrets. Corrupt ties between retired officers and active members of the Armed Forces have long been a source of information leaks. Therefore, it is impossible to prevent such leaks without breaking those ties.
Last year, another retired general was arrested on charges of illegally gathering military secrets and passing them to a foreign arms supplier. All 25 cases of military secret leaks have been detected since 2005. Why have such cases continued to take place? Legal loopholes, light punishment for violators and rampant corruption are major reasons for the continued leaking of classified information.
It is no secret that defense contractors, both local and foreign, have recruited many retired officers in order to lobby procurement officials for the sale of their products. The contractors have been engrossed in obtaining crucial information on arms procurement and military buildup plans.
In order to crack down on leaks, it is imperative to ban officers from serving as arms brokers after they retire. The government and military should also enforce tougher rules and establish a more effective security system to safeguard confidential information.
Prosecutors and judges must set more stringent sentencing guidelines to have violators face harsher punishment for leaking military secrets. Lawmakers are also required to revise the National Security Law to make it possible to apply the law to those who leak military information.
