Federal authorities have charged a retired U.S. Air Force officer who once trained American fighter pilots with training the Chinese military. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., a 65-year-old former Air Force major, was taken into custody in Indiana last week.
A criminal complaint charged Brown with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The U.S. Department of Justice reports that “since at least in or around August 2023, Brown willfully conspired with foreign nationals and U.S. persons to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).”
He was a U.S. Air Force veteran with 24 years of service
Brown, who served for over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, lacked the required license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). Therefore, it was illegal for him to provide that training to a foreign military under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
According to the complaint, Brown began to arrange terms of his contract to train Chinese military pilots around August 2023. Throughout these communications, Brown consistently expressed his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations. In December 2023, Brown traveled to China to begin his work training PRC military pilots.
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “When U.S. persons – whether military or civilian – provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department. The National Security Division will use all tools at its disposal to protect our military advantages and hold to account those who would violate the AECA [Arms Export Control Act].”