Chinese-Made Equipment Found Near Nuclear Sites Could Disrupt Communication

The FBI determined that equipment made by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is capable of intercepting and disrupting military communications, according to a report by CNN.

Even more concerning was that the equipment was found atop cell towers near military bases in the rural Midwest. Some of those military installations included nuclear missile silos.

According to Reuters, the Commerce Department began investigating the devices shortly after President Joe Biden took office. If the investigation determines the equipment poses a national security threat, the Commerce Department could ban all transactions with Huawei and order all telecoms carriers to remove any equipment made by the company.

It is unclear if any communications have been intercepted, and both China and Huawei forcefully denied the report.

"This gets into some of the most sensitive things we do," a former FBI official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. "It would impact our ability for essentially command and control with the nuclear triad. That goes into the 'BFD' category."

"If it is possible for that to be disrupted, then that is a very bad day," they added.