Washington, D.C.: A former United States Air Force major and elite F-35 instructor pilot has been arrested and charged with illegally providing defence services to Chinese military pilots, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
Gerald Brown, 65, a retired Air Force officer known by his call sign “Runner,” was taken into custody on Wednesday in Indiana. He faces a criminal complaint for allegedly providing and conspiring to provide defence services to members of China’s armed forces without required US government authorisation.
According to the DOJ, Brown served in the US Air Force for 24 years, where he led combat missions and commanded sensitive units, including those involved in nuclear weapons delivery systems. After leaving active duty in 1996, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a defence contractor training US pilots to operate advanced aircraft, including the F-35 Lightning II and A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Federal authorities allege Brown travelled to China in December 2023 to begin training Chinese military pilots and remained there until returning to the United States in early February 2026.
“Brown allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect,” Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said in a statement.
Rozhavsky added that Beijing continues to seek out current and former US service members to modernise its military capabilities. “This arrest serves as a warning,” he said.
US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia said authorities would hold Brown “and anyone conspiring against our Nation” accountable.
Links to Previous Case
The Justice Department said Brown’s contract to train Chinese pilots was negotiated by Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack a US defence contractor to obtain military secrets for China. Su Bin was sentenced to four years in prison.
Brown’s case bears similarities to that of former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, who was arrested in Australia in 2022 for allegedly providing pilot training to the Chinese military in violation of the US Arms Export Control Act. Duggan is currently contesting his extradition to the United States after Australia’s then Attorney General approved the transfer in December 2024.
Duggan, 57, a naturalised Australian citizen, argued before an Australian court that his alleged conduct did not constitute an offence under Australian law at the time and therefore failed to meet the requirement of dual criminality under the US-Australia extradition treaty.
Broader Security Concerns
In 2024, the governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom issued a joint warning that China was actively recruiting current and former Western military personnel to leverage their expertise for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“The insight the PLA gains from Western military talent threatens the safety of the targeted recruits, their fellow service members, and US and allied security,” the notice stated, cautioning that individuals who provide unauthorised training to foreign militaries could face civil and criminal penalties.
Brown’s case underscores growing counterintelligence concerns in Washington over efforts by foreign governments to acquire advanced US military knowledge through former service members.
If convicted, Brown could face significant prison time under US federal law.
Via Al Jazeera
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