A B-2 Spirit bomber in a hangar at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in March 2011. Qilin, Wu, a Chinese national, was recently arrested for taking photographs of aircraft at Whiteman, a restricted area by US law. (US Air Force/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

Chinese Spy Gets Six Months in Prison for Illicit B-2 Photos

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Qilin Wu, a Chinese national, was ordered not to take photos of B-2 Spirit bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. He did anyway.

A Chinese spy caught by US military police was sentenced to six months in federal prison on espionage charges—in large part because of an executive order signed by President Harry Truman 76 years ago. 

A relic from the Cold War, Truman’s executive order remains relevant in an age of increased great power competition.  

A Life Tip: Don’t Take Photos of Military Bases After Being Told Not To

Air Force prosecutors successfully convicted Qilin Wu, a 35-year-old Chinese national who returned to Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, after he was warned to leave and told not to photograph the air base. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison, followed by deportation.

The Air Force’s espionage case began on December 2, 2025, when military policemen from the 509th Security Forces Squadron found Wu in a white minivan in the........

© The National Interest