Chinese Communist Party Land Ownership is a Threat to Kansas’s Critical Infrastructure

Download

WHAT IS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE?

Critical infrastructure is any asset that, if incapacitated, would have a debilitating effect on national security, economic security, or public health. Examples include gas and oil pipelines, electrical power grids, military installations, telecommunications facilities, and public transportation systems.

WHAT CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE EXISTS IN KANSAS?

Fort Leavenworth (Leavenworth), known as the “intellectual center of the Army,” holds the honor of being the second-oldest U.S. Army installation west of Washington, D.C. This installation is home to critical Army institutions, such as the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. Fort Riley (near Junction City) lays claim to 150 square miles, serving as a training ground for military personnel. It’s also the home base of the 1st Infantry Division, which is the oldest continuously active division in the U.S. Army. McConnell Air Force Base (Wichita) has a primary mission focused on providing air refueling and airlift capabilities globally.

WHY SHOULD KANSANS CARE ABOUT CCP LAND OWNERSHIP?

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) acquisition of land is accelerating across the U.S. Acquisition of strategic land near military bases enables surveillance and sabotage of our Armed Forces, and acquisition of land near critical infrastructure exposes vulnerable sites—power, natural gas, petroleum, and water treatment facilities—to physical assault. In 2023, a CCP spy balloon traversed the entire continental United States, including over our most sensitive military bases. According to U.S. Air Force Major Jeremy Fox, land near military bases may be used for espionage, including intercepting military communications between unmanned air systems and space-based assets. If left open to CCP control, our real property provides nearly limitless platforms for “permanent spy balloons.”

WHAT CAN KANSAS DO TO PROTECT ITS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE?

Kansas should ban foreign adversaries from owning or otherwise controlling property within a close radius surrounding a military installation. It should also ensure that all companies with access to critical infrastructure conduct background checks on employees with significant access to that infrastructure. Finally, it should require the flagging of undeclared transactions, limiting the number of undeclared transactions that can lead to foreign ownership of land near strategic U.S. land/infrastructure.