The American authorities proceeded with the arrest of a former elite pilot of the United States Air Force, who is accused of illegally training Chinese personnel. This development brings to light Beijing’s systematic effort to gain access to the most sensitive Western military know how by recruiting former American fighter pilots, even instructors of the stealth F-35. It is recalled that recently in Greece, a wing commander of the Hellenic Air Force was also arrested for espionage, accused of selling classified telecommunications, digital, and electronic application information to China. Specifically, the 54 year old officer of the Hellenic Air Force, commander of the 128 Telecommunications and Electronics Training Wing of the Hellenic Air Force in Kavouri, possessed many years of experience and high technical expertise, while he had been placed in key positions.
The arrest of the American pilot
More specifically, regarding the US, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a former fighter pilot of the United States Air Force, also known by the code name “Runner”, on charges of providing training to Chinese aviators without proper authorization. The 65 year old Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr. was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, after returning to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, according to a Department of Justice statement. He is accused of having “conspired with foreign nationals to provide fighter aircraft training to pilots of the Chinese military” without the required license from the State Department. “The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to become an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our nation. Now he is accused of training Chinese military pilots,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “When American individuals, whether military personnel or civilians, provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have authorization from the State Department.”
Roman Rozhavsky, an official with the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI, stated: “Gerald Brown, a former F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot with decades of experience, allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he once swore to protect. The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernize its military capabilities.”
A 24 year career and the turn to China
Brown had a 24 year career in the United States Air Force, during which he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as an instructor pilot on various types of fighter aircraft. Although he retired in 1996, he later worked as a US defense contractor, training pilots on the A-10 Thunder and the stealth F-35 fighters. According to the indictment, Brown began negotiating a contract in August 2023 with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously imprisoned in the US for espionage, and traveled to China in December 2023.
The case of Daniel Edmund Duggan
Brown’s arrest follows similar charges brought against former United States Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan. Duggan was accused of providing defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization.
Duggan served in the United States Marine Corps for more than 10 years (1989 to 2002).
He flew the vertical takeoff and landing AV-8B Harrier II aircraft.
He moved to Beijing in 2014 and founded the aviation consulting company AVIBIZ Limited in Qingdao.
Duggan, who is now a naturalized Australian citizen, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in October 2022. He denies the charges, describing them as politically motivated, and remains in custody in Australia, facing possible extradition to the US.
Beijing’s strategy
Western intelligence services have warned that Beijing is intensifying efforts to recruit former Western fighter pilots. Through private companies, often based in South Africa and China, the Chinese Air Force and Navy seek to acquire expertise in:
1) Advanced air combat tactics
2) Air combat techniques
3) Aircraft carrier operations
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