试图向外国政府出售核舰信息 美海军夫妇被捕
文 / 陈慧璋
10/10/2021
(早报讯)美国司法部星期天(10日)说,一名海军工程师和他的妻子涉嫌试图出售核动力战舰信息,在西弗吉尼亚州被捕。
《纽约时报》和法新社综合报道,根据星期天解封的法庭文件,美国海军核工程师乔纳森·托比(Jonathan Toebbe)和他的妻子戴安娜多次尝试将核推进系统信息提供给一个外国政府。
两名被告均四十多岁,10月9日被联邦调查局(FBI)特工逮捕并被控以违反原子能法罪名。
美国司法部发表声明说,近一年来,这对夫妇向他们认为代表外国势力的一名人士出售有关核动力战舰设计的保密数据。这些数据的接收者实际上是FBI一名卧底特工。
诉状指托比通过他的工作权限取得核动力战舰的保密数据,他与妻子合谋以潜艇核反应堆的数据包括弗吉尼亚级潜艇的原理图设计,换取大约10万美元(约13.5万新元)的加密货币。
美英澳上月宣布成立三方安全伙伴关系,而澳洲将在美英协助下建造核动力潜艇,美国核动力潜艇因此成为舆论焦点。
US navy engineer arrested for selling nuclear submarine secrets
Jonathan Toebbe sold the design of nuclear-powered warships to a foreign official, who was an undercover FBI agent.
A United States Navy nuclear engineer and his spouse have been arrested on espionage charges after allegedly attempting to sell confidential information, the US Department of Justice said.
According to court records unsealed on Sunday, Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, were arrested and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act after attempting to sell the design of nuclear-powered warships to a person they believed was a representative of a foreign power.
The department said Toebbe, who held a security clearance, unwittingly communicated with FBI agents and passed along sensitive military secrets, in a scheme that stretched nearly a year.
In December 2020, an FBI official received a package from someone attempting to establish “a covert relationship” with a representative from a foreign country, identified only as “COUNTRY1” in court documents.
Toebbe had listed a return address in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, containing a sample of restricted data and instructions for establishing a covert relationship to obtain additional information.
He began corresponding via encrypted email with an individual whom he believed to be a representative of the foreign government, who was instead an undercover FBI agent, and continued a correspondence for several months before reaching an exchange agreement for thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.
The undercover agent sent $10,000 in cryptocurrency to Toebbe as “good faith” payment before he agreed to travel to a location in West Virginia to complete the transaction. With his wife acting as a lookout, he concealed an SD card within a peanut butter sandwich at a prearranged “dead drop” location.
The undercover agent sent Jonathan Toebbe a $20,000 cryptocurrency payment and received in return a decryption key for the SD card, which contained restricted data on US submarine nuclear reactors.
The FBI arrested Toebbe and his wife on Saturday, after two more “dead drops”.
Attorney General Merrick B Garland welcomed the arrest. “The work of the FBI, Department of Justice prosecutors, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Energy was critical in thwarting the plot charged in the complaint and taking this first step in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Toebbe was an employee at the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, also known as Naval Reactors, and had access to information related to military sensitive design elements, operating parameters and performance characteristics of the reactors for nuclear-powered warships.
The couple were charged with conspiracy to communicate restricted data and communication of restricted data and are scheduled to make an appearance in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia, on Tuesday.
俄前海军司令:美核潜艇或与石油钻探工业设施碰撞
中新网
10/10/2021
据俄罗斯卫星网报道,俄罗斯波罗的海舰队前司令、海军上将弗拉基米尔·瓦卢耶夫称,美国海军核潜艇受损的原因可能是与石油钻井平台等水下工业设施发生碰撞。
美军太平洋舰队此前消息称,10月2日,海狼级核动力攻击潜艇“康涅狄格号”在印太地区国际水域潜航时撞到物体,造成11名船员受伤。
瓦卢耶夫说:“碰撞的原因很可能是最近架设或仍在修建的石油钻探工业设施,美国舰队司令部尚未注意到这方面的信息。”
他强调,这艘潜艇属于美国海军最现代化的核潜艇,因此不太可能是它的导航设备出现故障而撞上水下暗礁或岩石。
这位海军上将总结道:“与另一艘潜艇发生碰撞是可能的,但在这种情况下……两艘潜艇都应会浮出水面并检查损坏情况。另外也很难想象这样一艘现代化的海狼级潜艇,竟然没有发觉另一艘潜艇的逼近。”
“康涅狄格号”是目前美国海军现役的三艘“海狼级”核动力攻击潜艇之一,于1998年12月入列服役。“海狼级”潜艇被认为是当代最安静的核潜艇,每艘造价约30亿美元。
美核潜艇撞击受损 专家:南海水下环境艰险
中央社
10/09/2021
美军海狼级核潜艇 「康乃狄克号」上周末在南海撞击不明物体受损。专家说,潜艇当时行驶在全世界最艰险的海底环境之一,上方是船只的各种声响,海床则状况多变,让船员猝不及防。
「康乃狄克号」(USS Connecticut,SSN-22)潜艇碰撞事故发生在10月2日,美国国防部官员7日未透露太多细节,仅表示多名官兵受伤。「康乃狄克号」已经凭借自身动力在8日安抵关岛基地。
美国海军发言人告诉美国有线电视新闻网(CNN),潜艇的前方受损,将会对事故展开「全面调查与完整评估」。
「康乃狄克号」是美国海军舰队现有的3艘海狼级潜艇之一,每艘造价约30亿美元。这艘潜艇全重9300吨、全长353英尺,1998年开始服役,可搭载140名官兵,由一具核子反应炉发动。
尽管「康乃狄克号」已服役超过20年,但在科技上依旧居于领先地位,系统也与时俱进。美国海军表示,这艘潜艇「极度安静、迅捷、武器齐全,且配备先进感应设备」。
伦敦国王学院(King’s College)战争战略研究系教授帕特拉诺(Alessio Patalano)说:「这些潜艇拥有一些最先进的水下能力…事实上属业界最先进。」
虽然美军并未透露「康乃狄克号」撞上什么,但分析师指出,南海的情况,对潜艇的精密感应器而言是一大挑战。
帕特拉诺表示:「那可能是一个很小的物体,小到足以在吵杂的环境下为声纳所忽略。」
根据美国国家海洋暨大气总署(NOAA),海军船艇利用所谓「被动式声纳」在水中探测周遭物体。被动式声纳与主动式声纳不同。主动式声纳发出声波,通过反射回来的时间计算距离,被动式声纳则是仅接收水下目标辐射来的声音。
这种方式能让潜艇保持安静,避免被敌方侦察到,但也代表潜艇必须仰赖其他设备,或是使用多具被动式声纳,来对路径中的物体位置进行三角测量。
分析师表示,由于南海是全世界最繁忙的航运水道与捕鱼区之一,海面上船只传来的各种噪音,都可能对底下航行的潜艇造成危险。
帕特拉诺说:「要看事故发生在哪个位置,这类(通常来自海面交通)的噪音干扰可能会影响声纳,或是影响声纳的操作。」
美军太平洋司令部联合情报中心(US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center)前作战处处长舒斯特(Carl Schuster)说,在南海,影响潜艇的不只是船运。
他表示,海域的天然构造也会带来问题,「这个地区的声学环境很差」。「洋流通过岛屿及不同水况间产生的环境杂讯,会影响声音接收。」
舒斯特说,造成问题也有可能是海底的物体。
他说:「这些海域的环境和海底,正在经历缓慢但持续的变化。这个区域需要不断绘制海底图。你有可能撞上一个不在地图上的海底山脉。」
「这就为何美国和中国等国家,在这个区域持续调查及巡视。」
康乃狄克号是今年第2艘在这个海域发生意外的潜 艇。印尼一艘潜艇今年4月在峇里海峡(Bali Strait)沉没,舰上53名官兵全数遇难。
印尼海军官员表示,事故原因是「自然/环境因素」,但未进一步详述。
美核潜艇在亚太国际水域潜航时撞上“物体”
文 / 陈慧璋
10/07/2021
(早报讯)美国海军核动力潜艇“康涅狄格”号在亚太地区的国际水域潜航时撞上一个“物体”后受损,但没有人员受到危及生命的伤害。
路透社和法新社综合报道,美国海军周四(7日)发表声明指,这起事件发生在10月2日下午,“康涅狄格”号(USS Connecticut)的核推进装置和空间没有受影响,仍可全面运行。
美国海军说:“潜艇保持安全和稳定的状态。”
海军表示正在检查损坏程度,并对事件展开调查。
另外,要求不具名的美国官员说,事件发生在南中国海的国际水域,少于15人受轻伤例如瘀伤或撕裂伤,其中两人的伤势被列为“中度”。
这些官员透露,“康涅狄格”号目前依靠自身动力驶往关岛,以接受进一步检查。他们表示,目前还不清楚这艘潜艇撞击了何物。
“康涅狄格”号是美军现役三艘海狼级潜艇中的一艘,属于美海军现有战斗力最强和灵敏度最高的攻击潜艇之一。
US nuclear submarine damaged in underwater collision in Asia
THE STRAITS TIMES
10/07/2021
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A US nuclear submarine was damaged after hitting an unidentified object while operating underwater in Asia, the US Navy said on Thursday (Oct 7).
The USS Connecticut, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, “struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region,” the navy said in a statement.
It said there were no life-threatening injuries, but USNI News, a site specializing in navy news, reported that about a dozen sailors were hurt “with moderate to minor injuries.”
USNI News also said the submarine was operating in the South China Sea, where the US Navy has sought to challenge China’s disputed territorial claims on small islands, reefs and outcrops.
The navy said the extent of the damage is being examined and the incident investigated.
“The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition. USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational,” it said.
USNI News said the vessel is now headed to the US base at Guam.
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