Washington: A former US Air Force officer who once flew some of America’s most advanced fighter jets has been arrested for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorisation, the Justice Department has said.
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, also known by the call sign “Runner,” was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He was charged by criminal complaint for providing and conspiring to provide defence services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. He is expected to appear before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday (local time).
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defence of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
“When US persons, whether military or civilian, provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department. The National Security Division will use all tools at its disposal to protect our military advantages and hold to account those who would violate the AECA,” he added.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division said Brown, a former F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot, “allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect.”
“The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernise China’s military capabilities,” he said.
“This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardise our national security.”
According to the complaint, Brown has conspired since August 2023 to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force. The training was classified as a defence service under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Brown did not have the required licence from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, federal prosecutors alleged.
Brown served more than 24 years in the Air Force and left active duty in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his career, he commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems and flew aircraft including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and A-10 “Thunderbolt II.”
He later worked as a commercial cargo pilot and as a contract simulator instructor training US military pilots on the A-10 and F-35.
Prosecutors said Brown began arranging a contract in August 2023 to train Chinese military pilots. He allegedly used a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who in 2016 pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiring to hack major US defence contractors and steal sensitive military data for the People’s Republic of China.
In December 2023, Brown travelled to China to begin training pilots. He remained there until early February 2026, when he returned to the United States.
The charges follow similar allegations against former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who was charged in 2017 with providing defence services to Chinese military pilots without authorisation. Duggan was arrested in Australia in 2022 and is pending extradition.
(IANS)
