Ernst Cracks Down on Chinese Surveillance of U.S. Military Shipments

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the Keeping China Off the Rails Act to strengthen national security by preventing cargo monitoring technology linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from being used to track sensitive military shipments.

Rail carriers rely on Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) tags and other cargo monitoring systems to identify and track rolling stock-including boxcars, tankers, and other rail assets-as they move throughout the rail network. The Department of Defense routinely relies on rail transportation to move heavy military equipment across the United States, making these tracking systems critical for military operational security.

The Keeping China Off the Rails Act would extend prohibitions in current law for new rail cars to existing ones by requiring rail carriers certify that cargo monitoring technologies or AEI tags linked to the CCP are not being used on trains carrying Department of Defense cargo. The legislation would provide the rail industry with a four-year schedule to comply with the restriction.

"No foreign adversary-especially one as hostile as Communist China-should have access to information about sensitive military shipments or activities at some of our nation's highest-security facilities," said Ernst. "At a time of growing national security threats, it's essential that the United States protects critical military infrastructure and maintains our military edge. I am proud to introduce this commonsense legislation to strengthen our national security, close this vulnerability, and help ensure our critical military equipment remains protected from hostile foreign adversaries."

The legislation provides a four-year transition period to allow rail carriers time to replace covered technologies, gives the Secretary of Defense waiver authority for national emergencies, and includes exemptions for smaller Department of Defense shipments.

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