U.S. Nuclear Command Base Flanked by Chinese Intelligence-linked Golf Courses Raises Security Alarms

A recent investigation has revealed that a Chinese intelligence-linked businessman owns two golf courses bordering the Barksdale Air Force Base, which houses the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command responsible for America’s nuclear triad.

The 340-acre property, encompassing The Golf Club at StoneBridge and Olde Oaks Golf Club, has been owned since 2013 by Eugene Ji, a Chinese American businessman with documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department.

According to Chinese government announcements, university records, and Louisiana business filings reviewed by the investigation, Ji has held multiple positions connected to this intelligence body. He is also listed as an overseas committee member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, a United Front-affiliated organization, in official capacities through 2024.

The House Select Committee on the CCP has described the United Front as a network for influence operations and intelligence gathering designed to advance Beijing’s strategic interests abroad.

Ji’s daughter, who serves as general manager of both golf courses, declined to comment on his background or affiliations, stating that the matters were “unrelated” to golf operations.

Chinese state media and Ji’s 2014 autobiography describe the golf courses as platforms for networking between Chinese and American business leaders and venues for “people-to-people diplomacy,” including hosting U.S. officials.

National security experts warn that Ji’s ownership of land adjacent to a critical nuclear command base poses serious risks, even in the absence of publicly reported espionage incidents.

Jacqueline Deal, an advisory board member at the counter-CCP nonprofit State Armor, stated: “For the price of two apparently poorly maintained courses, the CCP and the People’s Liberation Army have likely secured an intelligence and sabotage bonanza.”

Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the CCP, noted that China-linked entities increasingly acquire land near sensitive U.S. military installations, calling for an end to “sleepwalking” past such acquisitions.

Former Air Force intelligence analyst L.J. Eads characterized United Front operations as designed to appear benign while embedding CCP influence within communities: “This isn’t a businessman who happens to own a golf course. This is a CCP political actor highlighted in Chinese government publications.”