Retired US Air Force instructor was on China's payroll, gave secret training to Chinese fighter pilots

Washington: A sensational case has emerged from the United States. Former US Air Force elite fighter pilot and F-35 instructor Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. has been arrested on serious charges of secretly providing combat training to Chinese military pilots. The US Department of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday that he has been charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026.

What is the issue?

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated that Major Brown was trained by the US Air Force as an elite fighter pilot and entrusted with the responsibility of defending the nation. Now, he is accused of training Chinese military pilots. According to the Justice Department, Brown, a former F-35 instructor pilot who served in the US Air Force for more than 24 years, allegedly conspired to provide combat training to Chinese military pilots (People's Liberation Army Air Force - PLAAF) starting in August 2023. This training is considered a defense service under the International Arms Trade Regulations (ITAR), requiring a license from the State Department, which Brown did not possess.

Brown's military career included commanding sensitive units, conducting combat missions, and serving as 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 contract simulator instructor for US defense contractors. In December 2023, Brown traveled to China, where he began training PLAAF pilots. According to the complaint, he answered questions about the US Air Force for three hours on the first day, gave a presentation about himself on the second day, and conducted simulator and flight training until his return to the US in early February 2026. He also shared detailed information on US Air Force operations.

What did the FBI say?

Roman Rozhovsky, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said Brown allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against the very people they were sworn to protect. This posed a grave threat to national security. This arrest follows similar charges against former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017. The Justice Department emphasized that China continues to target current and former military personnel from NATO and allied countries to enhance its military capabilities.