Legislation Pushed to Remove Chinese-Owned GNC from U.S. Military Bases

Recent initiatives led by Senator Ted Budd from North Carolina have escalated the push to eliminate Chinese-owned GNC stores from U.S. military installations. This follows a similar bill introduced in the House by Representative Pat Harrigan, who expressed concerns about national security and the potential for espionage related to the retailer's operations at military bases.

Currently, there are about 85 GNC stores located on American military bases, including four at Fort Bragg, which caters to roughly 53,700 troops, almost 10% of the U.S. Army. Senator Budd highlighted the risk posed by these stores, describing them as venues that could exploit personal data of military personnel. He, along with fellow senators Ron Cotton and Rick Scott, proposed the Military Installation Retail Security Act, designed to prohibit businesses owned by adversarial nations, such as China, from functioning on U.S. military sites.

The presence of GNC on these bases is particularly concerning for lawmakers given the company’s ownership transition after it filed for bankruptcy in June 2020, when it was bought by Harbin Pharmaceuticals, a Chinese entity with state links. Harrigan pointed out that foreign land acquisitions near military bases aren’t the only concern, as a Chinese-operated business had already been established largely without scrutiny.

As GNC stores have been operating on U.S. bases for years, their potential involvement in Chinese surveillance seems to have escaped attention until now. These stores maintain long-term concession contracts, meaning they are managed directly by GNC. Harrigan expressed his appreciation for Budd's legislative effort, aiming to ensure that companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party do not infiltrate U.S. military infrastructure.

In defense of its operations, a GNC representative asserted that the company adheres to strict federal standards and insists it prioritizes the well-being of its military customers. However, Harrigan raised alarm over the ability of these stores to track purchases that could signal vulnerabilities among military personnel, as well as concerns over how customer data could be exploited through in-store tracking technologies. Senator Scott echoed these sentiments, asserting that allowing adversarial foreign businesses on U.S. military property is a significant security threat that should be universally recognized.