In recent days, the news that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is stepping up recruitment of retired Western military pilots to train CCP forces has once again drawn attention. Military experts and commentators in Taiwan believe that this is part of the CCP’s efforts to gain combat experience for an attack on Taiwan.
On June 5, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the United States, on behalf of the U.S. government and the other four countries in the Five Eyes Alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK), issued a joint statement exposing the ongoing recruitment of Western active-duty and retired military personnel by the CCP to train its forces.
Michael C. Casey, director of the NCSC, stated that the CCP has been actively recruiting Western military talent to train its air force pilots, using collaborations with private companies worldwide that covertly cooperate with the CCP military, often enticed by high salaries. While Western governments have taken some actions, the recruitment efforts of the CCP continue to evolve. The purpose of the joint statement by the Five Eyes Alliance is to emphasize this ongoing threat and collectively prevent active or retired Western military personnel from compromising national security.
The joint statement provides detailed information about the CCP’s recruitment efforts and encourages recruits to proactively contact relevant agencies to disclose such activities.
It is pointed out in the statement that the CCP has been targeting active-duty and retired military personnel from NATO countries and other Western nations, using private companies in South Africa and China to recruit former fighter jet pilots from Canada, France, Germany, the UK, Australia, the US, and other Western countries to train CCP air force and navy pilots. This aims to enhance the CCP’s military aerial combat capabilities using the skills and specialized knowledge of these individuals, as well as to gain insights into Western aerial tactics, technologies, and procedures. The intelligence obtained by the CCP from Western military personnel poses a threat to the security of the US and its allies.
The statement also calls for commercial restrictions on suppliers like the Test Flight Academy of South Africa (TFASA), Beijing CAT Technology Co., Ltd. (BCAT), Stratos, and other providers of Western military personnel to the CCP forces. It further emphasizes the need to prohibit retired military personnel from working in China through legislative changes and regulatory measures.
The recruitment activities of the CCP are conducted covertly, often reaching out to individuals through personal acquaintances or direct emails, as well as indirectly through specialized social media platforms and online job portals. The companies involved may include private entities from around the world, with relationships with the CCP military being extremely discreet.
The recruited military personnel may work in locations like China, South Africa, or elsewhere, with lucrative compensation offered.
Several military experts and commentators in Taiwan view the CCP’s actions as preparations for a potential military confrontation with Taiwan.
Zhang Yanting, former Deputy Commander of the Taiwan Air Force and a professor at the Political Warfare Department of the National Defense University, recently told a media outlet that retired pilots bring valuable combat experience that the CCP lacks. These individuals can impart invaluable experiences of combat scenarios, threats, and strategies to enhance the combat capabilities of CCP soldiers. Given the diversity of specialties among these recruits, including fighter jet, anti-submarine aircraft, and aircraft carrier pilots, they help fill the gap in the CCP’s combat experience.
He mentioned that the CCP seeks officers with expertise in various fields rather than just technically skilled pilots to broaden its military capabilities across different domains. By learning from Western military personnel, the CCP can gain a more comprehensive understanding of electronic warfare intelligence, an essential aspect of future warfare.
Zhang Yanting also stressed that future wars will be predominantly electronic in nature, with mastery of electronic warfare spectrum, operational models, equipment, and tactics being crucial for victory on the battlefield.
Furthermore, he believes that the CCP’s efforts to gather military intelligence through various means are aimed at preparing for a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan faces vulnerabilities such as lack of consultation on enemy situations, insufficient awareness among the public, and infiltration by Chinese spies. He urged the Taiwan government to address all these vulnerabilities to resist potential Chinese aggression.
Qi Leyi, a veteran media figure and military commentator in Taiwan, highlighted that the CCP values the operational experience of retired Western military officers. The direct involvement of frontline personnel not only enhances technical capabilities but also provides crucial intelligence. Much of this intelligence can be gleaned through reverse analysis, offering insights into the military capabilities of other nations, making it a strategic move in information warfare.
The recruitment of retired Western pilots and flight engineers by the CCP has been known since 2022. Despite repeated denials by the Test Flight Academy of South Africa (TFASA) regarding secretive military training, the organization was sanctioned by the US Department of Commerce in June 2023. In October 2022, the Australian government arrested and extradited Daniel Duggan, an Australian citizen and former US Marine Corps pilot who was a trainer at TFASA and had taught Chinese pilots how to land aircraft on aircraft carriers.
Duggan, who served in the US military for over a decade before moving to Australia, established a company called Top Gun Tasmania, employing former US and UK military pilots to offer fighter jet thrill rides to tourists. His piloting experience includes aircraft like AV-8B Harrier, T2C Buckeye, and A4J Skyhawk, and he holds aviation transport pilot licenses issued by both the US and Australia. Duggan worked in Beijing in 2014. In May of this year, he admitted to cooperating with Chinese spy Su Bin, who was involved in stealing US military secrets, though he claimed to be unaware of Su Bin’s espionage activities.
Up to 30 retired British pilots were also recruited by the CCP military, offering lucrative salaries (annual salaries of up to approximately $270,000). These pilots had experience flying high-speed jets and helicopters, including the Typhoon, Jaguar, Harrier, and Tornado fighter jets.
France is also a target for CCP recruitment efforts, as Beijing actively seeks skilled French instructors to guide Chinese pilots in carrier landings and learn NATO air force strategies. Apart from the US and China, France is the only country with carrier-based aircraft. Following a plane crash in Shangqiu, Henan in April 2022, involving two pilots – one Chinese and one retired French Air Force officer – who successfully ejected, it became evident that the CCP was seeking expertise from former French military personnel.
Ou Xifu, director of the CCP Political-Military and Combat Concepts Research Institute at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense Security, explained to a media outlet that the recruitment of retired Western carrier-based aircraft pilots to China primarily aims to assist in training CCP carrier pilots and to absorb experiential lessons on carrier combat tactics and strategies to enhance future CCP carrier operations.
He emphasized that landing a fighter jet on the narrow deck of an aircraft carrier is a high-risk maneuver and that the CCP lacks such operational knowledge, hence turning to Western countries for guidance. Carrier combat strategies are considered top military secrets by nations, making cooperation unlikely. Thus, the CCP resorts to offering substantial incentives to attract Western retired pilots and gain insights into carrier combat through their experiences.
Ou Xifu also noted that the CCP employs similar tactics to infiltrate Taiwanese society, recruiting retired military personnel to steal national defense secrets or enticing semiconductor professionals to divulge advanced industrial secrets. Taiwan, along with Western democracies, must remain vigilant to prevent the CCP from using such illicit means to gather defense and industrial secrets.