Florida Republican Representative Michael Waltz warned in a letter sent to the Secretary of the Department of Defense how some companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are buying U.S. military academies with training programs for law enforcement across the country:
It is incredibly troubling that there are U.S. private schools owned by companies with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party (...) I am concerned that Department of Defense resources are being directed to support these private schools that may undermine our national security interests.
In the letter, Waltz demanded that Secretary Lloyd Austin inspect all Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs at private military schools to determine if they are owned by a subsidiary of a foreign company:
From Florida to New York, there is clear evidence that the ownership of these schools is tied to our greatest adversary and it is ridiculous that we are developing potential future military leaders through JROTC programs where the CCP could be shaping the curriculum and school activities (...) With the current military recruitment crisis, I am concerned that any students we recruit for service from these CCP-influenced schools will have a sympathetic view of China's political and strategic objectives.
From Florida to New York
In the letter, the congressman mentioned Florida Preparatory Academy as an example. This school has an Air Force JROTC program assigned to it.
The academy, located in Melbourne, FL was purchased in 2017 by Newopen USA, a subsidiary of the Newopen Group, based in Chongqing, China. Company president Zhou Dengguang participates and constantly meets with the secretary general of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, which is sponsored by the CCP.
New York Military Academy, is another of the centers exhibited by Waltz. The academy has an Army JROTC program in its curriculum and has a full promotional website in Chinese.
The school located north of West Point was acquired in 2015 by the non-profit Research Center on Natural Conservation Inc, backed by China-based Fang Holdings. Fang's former CEO and largest private shareholder, Mo Tianquan, was a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body set up by the CCP.
