WASHINGTON, DC – With the Trump Administration arbitrarily laying off tens of thousands of skilled government workers, many with security clearances and expertise in critical fields, foreign government intelligence agencies are ratcheting up efforts to increase spies.

According to intelligence recently distributed by the U.S. Coast Guard Counterintelligence Service: “New intelligence indicates agents from China, Russia, and other countries have set their sights on recently fired probationary workers, or those with security clearances, hoping to obtain valuable information about U.S. critical infrastructure or national security interests.”

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says it is just one more example of how the Trump Administration short-sighted, chaotic approach to slashing government is making America less safe.

“Espionage threats against America are rising as Donald Trump continues to weaken U.S. national security and enable America’s adversaries to conduct foreign malign influence operations.  The Trump Administration is handing foreign-linked entities a target-rich environment to recruit willing or unwitting participation in their intelligence gathering operations.  We know China, Russia, and others are trying to exploit the Trump Administration’s missteps and they’re increasingly targeting those who have been fired or could soon be ousted – especially defense workers,” said Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an ex officio member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.  “Russia, China, and others are using sophisticated methods and deceptive techniques and fronts to try to lure unsuspecting, recently laid off U.S. government employees into divulging sensitive information.  And when U.S. government employees see how careless Trump’s Secretary of Defense, national security advisor, and National Director of Intelligence are with sensitive information on group chats, they may do the same.  We can’t let that happen.  President Trump also allows a lot of unvetted people to influence him and apparently direct him to take specific actions, like firing the head of the NSA.  That is very worrisome.”

Last week, President Trump abruptly fired the director of the National Security Agency without explanation and has also targeted the CIA, FBI, and DOJ for mass-layoffs, including the purging of career civil servants who the Trump Administration deems insufficiently loyal to the MAGA political agenda.

According to CNN: “A document produced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the intelligence community assessed with “high confidence” that foreign adversaries were trying to recruit federal employees and “capitalize” on the Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs, according to a partly redacted copy reviewed by CNN.

“It added that foreign intelligence officers were being directed to look for potential sources on LinkedIn, TikTok, RedNote and Reddit.

“At least one foreign intelligence officer directed an asset to create a company profile on Linkedin and post a job advertisement, and to actively pursue federal employees who indicate they are “open to work,” the NCIS document says.”

All intelligence agencies use similar exploits.  Countries with high levels of internal division, economic turmoil, and vulnerable populations may be more susceptible.

Senator Reed stressed that the increased risk of Americans becoming foreign intelligence assets is not a matter of loyalty, but a matter of sophisticated intelligence tactics designed to trick American workers, such as the use of fake job ads or realistic front companies.

Reuters noted: “Max Lesser, a senior analyst on emerging threats with the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said some companies placing recruitment ads were "part of a broader network of fake consulting and headhunting firms targeting former government employees and AI researchers.”

The story continued: “Asked about the research, three intelligence analysts told Reuters the network appeared to be a prime example of how foreign-linked entities are trying to gather intelligence from staff fired or forced into retirement by President Donald Trump and billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

“Once employed by the network, federal employees could then be asked to share increasingly sensitive information about government operations, or recommend additional people who might be targeted for willing or unwitting participation, the analysts said.””

The Coast Guard’s bulletin noted a telltale sign of foreign agents attempting to recruit former government officials is if something that is too good to be true, it probably is.

“Your contact might overly praise or focus on your skills/experience, especially if your government affiliation is known,” the notice stated, adding that flattery, scarcity, and a sense for urgency might be an indicator as well.

An active-duty U.S. army sergeant was recently charged with selling and transmitting sensitive military and national defense secrets to co-conspirators working on behalf of China.