It was like a scene from a spy thriller. The Air Force battalion leader, Colonel Christos Flessas, was paraded out of the courtroom, surrounded by armed guards. The 54-year-old officer has been charged with “transmitting top secret information of a military nature.” U.S. readers may be slightly relieved to learn Flessas is Greek. But if the allegations are true, it proves how effective Beijing has been at infiltrating NATO.
“Unknowingly and without intent, I became involved in something that developed in a way that became nightmarish, dangerous and illegal. In my testimony I did not try to justify myself or, in reality, even defend myself … I ask to be punished with a fair punishment.” — Colonel Christos Flessas, Greece
Colonel Flessas’s insistence that he “unknowingly” became involved is flimsy. The CIA discovered the man made an undisclosed trip to China last year and tipped off the Greek authorities. He’d reportedly been recruited on LinkedIn, contacted in person at a NATO conference, then trained in espionage during his China trip.
He’s admitted to photographing and transmitting classified NATO documents using encryption software Chinese intelligence gave him. He was paid up to 15,000 Euros ($17,000 USD) for each transmission. His clearance included information on military technology still under development. He’d previously evaluated NATO information systems, and his final post was commanding a battalion which was training in telecommunications.
One of the most shocking aspects of the case is China’s willingness to destroy its strong relationship with Greece for military intel on NATO. Nearly a quarter of Chinese imports to Europe pass through the Piraeus terminal alone. Plamen Tonchev, an expert in Sino-Greek affairs, says, “Greece is seen as a relatively China-friendly country. This is the very first time that China is so openly implicated in an espionage case of this kind.”
