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Communist China-linked Electric Batteries at US Military Bases

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Marines

Communist China-linked Electric Batteries at US Military Bases

Another reason why the Pentagon’s woke green/climate change agenda push in the military is a bad idea. Where do the batteries come from? Who has the most access to the raw materials to make batteries? And who has the most coal plants producing these batteries?

(Press Release) Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), a company directly funded and supported by the Chinese Communist Party, continues to pose national security risks to the United States.  This past spring, CATL batteries were installed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding the U.S. Department of Defense immediately reverse the decision to install CATL batteries at Camp Lejeune.

The letter also calls for a full assessment of whether CATL systems have been installed at other U.S. military bases.

  • CATL, the world’s largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries and a dominant actor in the global electric vehicle (EV) market, is closely linked to the highest levels of the CCP, including General Secretary Xi Jinping, who praised CATL’s growth this March 2023.
  • “The growing presence of CATL and other Chinese products in U.S. infrastructure is concerning, but it is inexcusable on U.S. military installations…. The CCP’s pattern of espionage leaves little room for doubt that CATL products pose a threat to national security at any base where they are installed.”

Joining Rubio were Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE), James Moylan (R-GU), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Austin Scott (R-GA), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Gregory Murphy (R-NC), Cory Mills (R-FL), Mark Alford (R-TX), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), and Rich McCormick (R-GA).

Flashback… Rubio recently led an effort demanding accountability for CATL’s importation of products connected to Uyghur forced labor after Ford and CATL established a joint venture.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Austin:

We write out of concern with regards to the installation of a battery and solar array by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-aligned Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina as part of a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

A CCP-funded and supported firm should have no role or presence on a U.S. military installation, especially one that trains U.S. Marines for a potential conflict with China.

The presence of CATL’s system at Camp Lejeune also raises the question of whether CATL, or other CCP-affiliated companies, operate similar energy projects on other U.S. military installations.

We urge the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to immediately reverse the decision to install CATL batteries at Camp Lejeune, as well as conduct a full assessment on all installations.

CATL, the world’s largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries and a dominant actor in the global electric vehicle (EV) market, is closely linked to the highest levels of the CCP, including General Secretary Xi Jinping, who praised CATL’s growth this March 2023.

CATL is an important component of the CCP’s military-civil fusion (MCF) strategy.

Moreover, CCP industrial policies have steered business towards CATL, placing the company in a position to influence supply chains globally and increasingly in the United States, where CATL operates in several states.

In turn, the CCP has benefitted from CATL’s record revenues and immense growth.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) may soon power its conventional submarine fleet with lithium-ion batteries provided by CATL and other Chinese companies.

The CCP is well aware of how China’s commercial EV industry, CATL included, benefits its military. Further, Beijing dropped a government safety test from its inspections after a CATL rival found that the test showed CATL battery cells exploding, demonstrating its insistence to bolster CATL as its battery champion.

CATL has striking similarities to other Chinese firms that have been deemed serious national-security threats and banned from U.S. government use.

A recent report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) made clear that CATL’s “parallels to Huawei are not difficult to see.” 

Huawei, like CATL, was built as a champion for the CCP, and Beijing acted to support its success.

Like Huawei, the presence of CATL in U.S. energy infrastructure raises alarms about the known security risks associated with Chinese technology produced by companies operating under the direction or influence of Beijing.

CATL could introduce malware into large-scale power storage stations, threatening the U.S. energy grid.

Further, the significant known cyber risks to BESS systems more broadly, such as security limitations that prevent regular updates and gaps in reviewing vulnerabilities, raise several concerns that a malicious actor, or government, could seek to exploit.

The growing presence of CATL and other Chinese products in U.S. infrastructure is concerning, but it is inexcusable on U.S. military installations.

On April 14, 2023, the U.S. Marine Corps held a ribbon cutting for its new BESS, featuring CATL batteries, at Camp Lejeune.

Less than two weeks later, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) held an exercise at Camp Lejeune to practice extracting noncombatants from conflict zones.

Units such as the 26th MEU, which are trained to conduct amphibious operations in crisis response situation, will be vital in a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.

Our military cannot afford to subsidize the PRC’s national champions by installing them on bases.

The CCP’s pattern of espionage leaves little room for doubt that CATL products pose a threat to national security at any base where they are installed.

We therefore implore you to address the national-security concerns with CATL’s presence at Camp Lejeune and potentially other U.S. military installations.

We request a full accounting of CATL batteries and other products by CCP-aligned companies on U.S. military installations.

In addition, we wish to know the following:

  1. When did DoD become aware that Duke Energy would be purchasing batteries manufactured in China by CATL for installation on the grounds of Camp Lejeune?
  2. At the time, were the contracting officers aware of CATL’s close ties with the CCP?
  3. Did Duke Energy, or the DoD, consider utilizing batteries manufactured by an American company, or any allied or partner country of the United States, for this project?
  4. Has DoD conducted an analysis of vulnerabilities in this system that the PRC could exploit, especially during time of war?
  5. Will CATL employees perform maintenance on the batteries? Will maintenance require granting base access to CATL employees, who may be CCP members or Chinese nationals?
  6. Will CATL systems installed in Camp Lejeune require any data connections to CATL-operated servers in the People’s Republic of China?
  7. Have CATL systems been installed on or at any joint DoD-National Security Agency facilities or locations?

We appreciate your prompt response and attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,


US military base’s green energy project with CCP ties disconnected over national security concerns (Fox News, 6 DEC 23)

A U.S. energy developer said it shuttered a battery storage facility connected to its solar panel array located on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, citing national security concerns.

North Carolina-based Duke Energy confirmed to Fox News Digital Wednesday the facility, which began operations in April, was disconnected late last week after Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate raised concerns about the project.

The storage facility was constructed with batteries manufactured by Contemporary Amperex Technology, Limited (CATL), a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) apparatus. . . .



Renewable Energy Program Solar Facility Groundbreaking Ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES
07.17.2015
Photo by Staff Sgt. Neill Sevelius
Marine Corps Installations East
Plans for a solar panel project site are displayed during the Renewable Energy Program Office Solar Facility Groundbreaking Ceremony on Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 17, 2015. The purpose of the groundbreaking ceremony was to thank participants and contributors, as well as demonstrate the collaboration between Duke Energy and the Department of the Navy (DON) in meeting DON standards for renewable energy across all installations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Neill A. Sevelius, MCIEAST-MCB CAMLEJ Combat Camera/Released)



Electronic Vehicle Charging Station on MCB Camp Lejeune
MCB CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES
02.18.2022
Video by Lance Cpl. Tanner Bernat
Marine Corps Installations East
Camp Lejeune implements the use of electronic vehicle charging stations at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 18, 2022. The Electronic Vehicle Autonomous, Renewable Charger 2020 is a fully off-grid, solar-powered electric vehicle charging station that fits in a standard sized parking space and is for authorized government vehicles only. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Tanner Bernat)



Battery Energy Storage System Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES
04.13.2023
Photo by Lance Cpl. Loriann Dauscher
Marine Corps Installations East
U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Andrew M. Niebel, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCIEAST-MCB) Camp Lejeune, gives remarks during the Battery Energy Storage System ribbon cutting ceremony on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 13, 2023. Duke Energy is hosting the largest battery system in North Carolina and will frequently be operated in conjunction with the adjacent solar facility located on base, therefore strengthening the overall reliability of the energy grid and supporting the transition to cleaner energy. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Loriann Dauscher)

 

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