US Accuses Former Fighter Pilot of Providing Defence Services to China

A former US Air Force officer and elite fighter pilot has been arrested on charges of illegally providing defence services to Chinese military personnel, in what US authorities describe as a serious breach of national security.

Gerald Eddie Brown, 65, was taken into custody and faces charges under the US Arms Export Control Act (AECA). According to a statement from the United States Department of Justice, Brown is expected to appear before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana.

What Are the Allegations Against Gerald Eddie Brown?

Brown, a former F-35 instructor pilot with more than 24 years of service in the United States Air Force, allegedly began arranging contracts in August 2023 to train pilots from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

The Justice Department said the training required a licence under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which Brown allegedly did not obtain.

According to the complaint, Brown travelled to China in December 2023 to begin the training and provided detailed briefings on US Air Force operational tactics. He also conducted simulator and flight instruction for Chinese military pilots before returning to the United States in February 2026.

Brown’s military career reportedly included commanding sensitive units, leading combat missions, and serving as both a fighter pilot and simulator instructor on aircraft such as the F-4, F-15, F-16, A-10 and F-35. After leaving active duty in 1996, he worked as a commercial pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor for US defence contractors.

Why Is This Case Raising National Security Concerns?

US officials have framed the case as part of a broader pattern of efforts by China to recruit or exploit former Western military personnel.

"The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots," said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Echoing those concerns, Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, stated: "Gerald Brown... allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect."

The arrest follows earlier cases involving former US military personnel. In 2017, former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan was charged with providing defence services to the Chinese military.

The Justice Department emphasised that China continues to target current and former military personnel from NATO and allied nations in a bid to enhance its military capabilities.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with support from multiple regional offices and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Prosecutors from the DOJ’s National Security Division and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are handling the case.

If proven, the allegations underscore the legal and strategic risks surrounding the transfer of sensitive military expertise, particularly in an era of intensifying geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

(With inputs from ANI)