JOHN SCHINDLER: Amid Shocking Chinese Spy Case, Our Navy Can No Longer Be Trusted.

The redacted indictment does not reveal how Mr. Lin came in contact with Chinese intelligence, though his being charged with cavorting with prostitutes offers tantalizing hints, while it makes clear that a good deal of intent was involved. He is accused of not revealing unauthorized foreign contacts to navy officials, as holders of high-level security clearances are required to do, while the mention of unreported foreign trips reveals that Mr. Lin was meeting with Chinese handlers outside the United States. Such clandestine meetings are standard for high-value spies who may be too risky to meet with on American soil.

We know nothing yet about what Mr. Lin told Beijing, but the unusual degree of secrecy surrounding this case, with the lieutenant commander stashed in the brig for months without press notification, indicates that the navy thinks the damage must be severe indeed. Worse, it is impossible to write the Lin debacle off as some sort of ugly aberration, as navy leadership will want to do. In truth, it’s been evident for several years that the U.S. Navy has lost control of its own security, a development with worrisome ramifications far beyond our navy.

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