BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - A former U.S. Air Force pilot has been arrested for providing defense services to the Chinese military.
Former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., also known by the call sign 'Runner,' 65, was arrested Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Brown, a U.S. citizen, was charged for providing training to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Brown is expected to appear before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
As alleged in the complaint, Brown conspired with foreign nationals and U.S. persons to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People's Liberation Army Air Force, since at least August 2023.
In December 2023, Brown traveled to China to begin his work training Chinese military pilots. After his arrival, Brown answered question for three hours about the U.S. Air Force, and prepared and presented a brief about himself for the PLAAF. Brown remained in China until he traveled to the United States in early February 2026.
The case against Brown is being investigated by the FBI's New York Field Office.
'Gerald Brown, a former F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot with decades of experience flying U.S. military aircraft, allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect,' said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. 'The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the U.S. armed forces to modernize China's military capabilities,' he added.
In June 2024, the United States, along with the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand, had published a bulletin warning that China's People's Liberation Army continues to target current and former military personnel from NATO nations and other Western countries to help bolster its capabilities.
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