The United States Department of Justice announced on Wednesday (February 25th) that a 65-year-old man, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. (flight call sign “Runner”), who previously served as a US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and was an instructor for the F-35 stealth fighter jet, has been arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana for allegedly providing flight training to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
According to the criminal complaint, Brown is charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). Prosecutors pointed out that Brown served in the US Air Force for over 24 years and had extensive qualifications. He not only piloted various aircraft including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15, F-16, and A-10, but also commanded a sensitive unit responsible for the “nuclear weapon delivery system.” After retiring, he continued to work as a simulator instructor for the F-35 “Lightning II” and A-10 aircraft at a defense contractor.
Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg stated, “The US Air Force trained Lieutenant Colonel Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the responsibility of defending the country. Now he faces allegations of training Chinese military pilots.”
“Whether military personnel or civilians, when US citizens provide training to foreign military without State Department permission, that act is illegal,” he emphasized, stating that the US government will use all means to protect America’s military advantage.
Investigations show that Brown’s illegal activities began at least in August 2023. He discussed contract details with a co-conspirator named Su Bin, a Chinese national.
Su Bin was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in 2016 for hacking into US defense contractor networks and stealing military secrets, with his company being placed on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List for export control.
Through communication records, Brown was aware of the Chinese side’s intention to train People’s Liberation Army officers to operate combat aircraft during the application process.
In his resume, Brown listed his “target application” as a “fighter jet instructor.” A co-conspirator informed Brown that the base he may be sent to could be “similar to the USAF Weapon School.”
Brown also expressed enthusiasm for the job. Upon arriving in China, he told the co-conspirator, “Now… I finally have the opportunity to fly a fighter jet again and teach fighter pilots!”
In December 2023, Brown flew to China. The indictment stated that on his first day there, he provided a three-hour consultation on the US Air Force to the Chinese side and submitted a briefing on his personal background to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force the following day.
Brown stayed in China until early February 2026 before returning to the US.
This case is not an isolated incident. The US Department of Justice pointed out that this case bears a striking similarity to the 2017 case involving former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, accused of training Chinese Air Force pilots.
Duggan was charged with illegally training Chinese military pilots in carrier take-offs and landings, and was also accused of money laundering, currently being extradited back to the US from Australia.
Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Division, stated, “China continues to utilize the professional skills of active-duty and retired members of the US armed forces to advance the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army.”
“This arrest serves as a warning: the FBI and its partners will spare no effort in holding accountable those who collaborate with adversaries, harm our military personnel, and jeopardize national security,” Rozhavsky said.
In 2024, the US, Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand governments (the “Five Eyes Alliance”) issued a joint statement warning that the Chinese authorities were systematically targeting retired Western military personnel for recruitment.
Former NATO Allied Air Forces Commander James Hecker publicly addressed military personnel, saying, “Once you were part of our team, even after taking off the uniform, you still have a responsibility to protect our tactics, technology, and procedures.”
Currently, Brown is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the Southern District Court of Indiana on February 26.