NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A former US Air Force pilot who once trained members of the US military on advanced fighter jets, including the F-35, has been arrested and accused of illegally training pilots for the Chinese military, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., whose call sign is “Runner,” was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Ind., and charged with providing and conspiring to provide security services to Chinese military pilots without authorization.
Prosecutors allege Brown violated the Arms Export Control Act, a federal law that regulates the export of US defense documents, materials and military technology and requires government approval before it can be shared with foreign governments or civilians.
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite pilot and put him in charge of protecting our nation. Now he is charged with training Chinese pilots,” said Assistant National Security Attorney John A. Eisenberg. “If US persons – whether military or civilian – provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department.”
A former US Air Force pilot is accused of illegally training pilots for the Chinese military without State Department approval, DOJ officials said. (Hu Shanmin/Xinhua via AP)
The DOJ alleges that beginning “at least on or about August 2023,” Brown “intentionally conspired” with foreign nationals and other US nationals to provide fighter jet training to pilots of the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Prosecutors said the training required State Department approval under federal export laws, and that Brown did not have a license to provide it to foreign troops.
Brown served more than 24 years in the US Air Force, according to the DOJ, leaving active duty in 1996 with the rank of major.
FORMER ARMY SERGEANT CONVICTED OF TRYING TO GIVE GOVERNMENT SECRETS TO CHINA BEHIND MENTAL HEALTH.
A former US Air Force pilot is accused of illegally training pilots for the Chinese military without State Department approval, DOJ officials said. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
During his career, he commanded units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions and served as a pilot and simulation instructor on aircraft including the F-4, F-15, F-16 and A-10. After leaving the military, Brown worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor training US pilots to fly the A-10 and F-35 Lightning II.
According to the complaint, Brown began negotiating a contract in “August or mid” August 2023 to train Chinese military pilots, working with a neighbor who was dealing with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the US of conspiring to hack into the computers of major US contractors and steal sensitive military information.
Prosecutors say Brown made it clear in those conversations that he intended to train Chinese pilots in fighter jet operations. In the CV, he listed his objective as “Instructor Fighter Pilot” and later wrote that, when he arrived in China, “Now…. I have the opportunity to fly and teach fighter pilots again!”
THE MOST SHOCKING EXAMPLES OF CHINESE COSTUMES UNCOVERED BY THE US THIS YEAR: ‘JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG’
Saffrine Duggan speaks outside the Downing High Court in Sydney on May 24, 2024, where her husband Daniel Edmund Duggan appeared. Brown’s case follows similar charges against Duggan, who is accused of providing protective equipment to Chinese military pilots without permission and is currently fighting extradition to the US. (Photo by Rick Rycroft/AP)
According to the complaint, Brown traveled to China in December 2023 to begin training pilots for the Chinese military and remained there until he returned to the United States earlier this month.
Prosecutors said that after arriving in China, Brown spent hours answering questions about the US Air Force and later gave a presentation about himself to members of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
“As chief of the Air Force, Brown took an oath to defend our nation against all foreign and domestic enemies, violated that oath, and betrayed the country, endangering the safety of our personnel and our allies,” said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “We will arrest Brown, and anyone who conspires against our nation, will be held accountable for their actions.”
Brown’s case follows similar charges against former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who is accused of providing protective equipment to Chinese military pilots without permission and is currently awaiting extradition to the US.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Prosecutors allege that Duggan trained Chinese military pilots in the airline’s takeoff and landing procedures, skills considered highly sensitive to US national security. He is currently in Australia.
Brown, if convicted, faces significant prison time under export control laws designed to prevent US military technology from being transferred to foreign enemies.
Related Article
