Former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) leaders David Shedd and Andrew Badger expose the strategic threat posed by China espionage in their new book, The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets. The authors reveal how Beijing orchestrated a massive, state-sponsored campaign to steal advanced intellectual property (IP), defense secrets, and proprietary technology from the West. This organized theft rapidly accelerated China’s technological development and global status.
A “Whole-of-Society” Strategy
The book documents the sheer scale of the operation, detailing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deploys a “whole-of-society” strategy to illegally acquire sensitive data. By exploiting human and cyber vulnerabilities, the campaign successfully siphoned trillions of dollars worth of research and development (R&D) over decades. This industrial theft, combined with what the authors describe as Western complacency, fueled China’s swift ascent from a developing country to a major global competitor. This process allowed China to bypass essential steps in technological innovation, directly leveraging stolen breakthroughs to build its own military and economic capabilities.
Securing National Assets
Shedd and Badger compiled their findings from exclusive investigations and interviews with senior policymakers, intelligence officers, and corporate security teams who fell victim to the plot. For government contractors and defense companies, these revelations underscore the critical need for robust counterintelligence measures. The campaign to combat China espionage must include a comprehensive strategic playbook for protecting intellectual property and innovation across the defense industrial base. Organizations must actively secure their research and development against aggressive state actors.
Developing a Counter Strategy
The authors urge the United States and its allies to adopt a cohesive approach to safeguard proprietary technology and innovation. Their work provides a strategic framework designed to help national security stakeholders and industry partners effectively counter the threat. Protecting America’s technological edge requires continuous vigilance and proactive measures to defeat covert operations aimed at destabilizing global power dynamics. This is essential for preventing future acts of China espionage.
