Senator Marshall Requests National Security Briefing On CCP-Linked Facility in Kansas

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. led a letter to Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, and Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense regarding the planned building of a battery material facility, CNANO, in Johnson County, Kansas that has extensive ties to a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) company. 

In the letter to the Administration, Senator Marshall demands answers to whether any of the 28 CCP party members employed by the Chinese company have ties to the People’s Liberation Army, among other pressing questions.

Senator Marshall previously joined a letter in February to Secretaries Yellen and Austin regarding his concerns with the proposed Chinese-owned installation and its proximity to Fort Leavenworth, Whiteman Air Force Base, and Honeywell’s Kansas City National Security Campus. 

You may click HERE or scroll below to read Senator Marshall’s latest letter expressing his concerns. 

Dear Secretary Yellen and Secretary Austin:  

Thank you for your March 12, 2024, response to my February 1, 2024 letter expressing my concerns regarding Cnano Technologies, USA Inc.’s proposed facility in Johnson County, Kansas. 

As you prepare your formal response due to be completed by the end of March, I am requesting your expert, professional assessment of any national/military security threats that this CCP-linked facility may pose to our military and national security infrastructure. Please focus your assessment on the American military installations listed in my previous letter, namely Fort Leavenworth, Whiteman Air Force Base, and Honeywell’s Kansas City National Security Campus.

Furthermore, I am requesting answers to the following questions:

1. Are you aware of any Chinese Communist Party members within Cnano?
2. Are you aware of any Chinese Government subsidy or direct support of Cnano?
3. Are you aware of the Chinese National Intelligence Law which requires Chinese companies to provide any and all intelligence information to the Chinese Government upon request?
4. Does the Chinese National Intelligence Law lead to active cooperation between Chinese companies and the Chinese government to collect intelligence via electronic or other means?
5. Does Chinese dominance in the critical minerals and battery supply chain create complications for US military plans to develop battery storage capabilities?
6. Would greater Chinese presence in the US battery manufacturing supply chain further complicate such plans?    
7. Does the planned facility’s proximity to Fort Leavenworth and Whiteman Air Force Base create any national security threats or concerns?
8. Does the planned facility pose any threat to Honeywell’s Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), which is located less than 25 miles away? The KCNSC is one of the lead supporters of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Directed Stockpile Work / Nuclear Weapons Program and is responsible for developing, producing, procuring, and delivering over 80% of all nonnuclear components in support of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
9. Do any of the 28 CCP party members employed by Cnano Jiangsu have ties to the People’s Liberation Army?  

Separately, I ask that you provide a briefing for our staff on your assessment and your proposed plan to prevent CCP-linked companies from threatening American national security.

It is imperative that we get urgent answers to these pressing questions. I look forward to hearing your responses and seeing your plan to protect American military infrastructure. 

Sincerely,