U.S. Air Force veteran accused of training Chinese fighter pilots

Officials arrested former U.S. Air Force Major Gerald Brown, Jr., on Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to illegally train Chinese military pilots, according to the Department of Justice. Prosecutors accused the 65-year-old of conspiring with foreign nationals to train combat aircraft pilots in the Chinese Air Force for over two years, prosecutors alleged.

Brown broke his vow to defend our nation against all enemies, betraying the country and jeopardizing the safety of U.S. servicemembers and allies, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The U.S. military trained Brown to be an elite fighter pilot, and all American citizens—both civilian and military—must be licensed by the State Department to share training with a foreign military, according to Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. Federal authorities noted that criminal charges are merely allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.

Brown spent 24 years in the military, where he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor for various fighter and attack aircraft, the DOJ said. He left active duty in 1996 and served as a commercial cargo pilot, then a contract simulator instructor for U.S. defense contractors, according to the DOJ.

How is he supposed to have trained pilots? Prosecutors believed Brown started nailing down contract terms to train Chinese military pilots with an accomplice, Chinese national Stephen Su Bin, around August 2023. Bin previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2016 for trying to hack U.S. defense contractors’ networks to steal military data for China.

Brown repeatedly stated his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations, and listed “Instructor Fighter Pilot” as his objective on a resume with his application, according to prosecutors. Brown traveled to China in December 2023 and answered three hours of questioning about the U.S. Air Force upon his arrival, according to the DOJ. Brown returned to the United States in early February, weeks before his arrest.