KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AFNS) —
Qilin Wu, a Chinese national who returned to Whiteman Air Force Base after being warned not to photograph the installation, was sentenced to six months in federal custody following a case built on a 76-year-old executive order signed by President Harry Truman.
The conviction showed how a Cold War-era legal framework can be used against repeated, unauthorized photography around sensitive military installations, and how Special Agents will investigate similar cases before they develop into something more.
“For our Special Agents, this isn’t about a single case,” said Col. David Bethel, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Region 8. “It’s about recognizing that the operating environment has changed.”
Bethel was referring to a shift from clear-cut threats in overseas environments to more ambiguous activity around military installations inside the United States. In Wu’s case, investigators said the concern was not just his camera, but that he returned after being warned and photographed more than the aircraft.
That conduct ultimately led to an investigation, guilty plea and sentencing. After the hearing, held earlier last month, the court remanded Wu to the U.S. Marshals Service. He was later processed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and will be deported to China.
“When someone gathers information around a sensitive military installation, AFOSI has the tools to hold them accountable,” Bethel said.
The encounter began on Dec. 2, 2025, when members of the 509th Security Forces Squadron responded to a report of a suspicious minivan near Whiteman’s perimeter. Wu, who was driving a vehicle with Massachusetts license plates, said he had come to observe the B-2.
“What made this different was the pattern of behavior,” said a senior AFOSI official involved in the investigation. Wu’s return after the warning, along with his focus on the base’s perimeter and infrastructure, heightened concerns.
Wu later admitted to photographing aircraft and installations at other U.S. military bases, including locations in Florida and Virginia.
Section 795 of Title 18, together with Executive Order 10104, prohibits unauthorized photographs, sketches, maps and other visual representations of designated military installations, aircraft, weapons and equipment requiring protection from the general dissemination of information.
AFOSI officials said the law provides authorities with a means to address unauthorized photography involving protected military property. In Wu’s case, investigators focused on his repeated conduct, his return after being warned and the subjects captured in his photographs.
Officials said the case also demonstrates the importance of coordination between installation security forces and federal investigators when suspicious activity is reported near sensitive military facilities.
AFOSI will continue to identify, assess and investigate suspected unauthorized photography around protected installations and equipment, officials said, while evaluating each incident based on its specific facts and circumstances.
For Bethel, the case highlights the agency’s role in protecting the homeland.
“Det. 811’s work delivered strategic deterrence,” he said. “This case reflects AFOSI’s professionalism, integration and operational discipline required to defend our installations in an increasingly complex threat environment.”
By Thomas Brading
AFOSI Public Affairs
Editor’s note: Some AFOSI personnel and mission partners are not identified by name in this article to protect operational security, personal privacy and ongoing mission readiness.
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