A retired United States Air Force fighter pilot has been arrested on charges of unlawfully providing combat flight training to members of China’s military, the US Department of Justice has announced.
Gerald Brown, 65, was taken into custody in Indiana after returning to the United States from China, where he had reportedly been since December 2023. Federal prosecutors allege that he conspired with foreign nationals to deliver advanced military aviation instruction to pilots serving in the Chinese Air Force without obtaining the required authorisation from the US State Department.
According to court documents, Brown had a 24-year career in the US Air Force before retiring in 1996. During his service, he is said to have overseen units linked to nuclear weapons delivery systems, led operational combat missions and worked as an instructor pilot and simulator trainer on multiple fighter and attack aircraft platforms.
After leaving active duty, Brown worked as a civilian cargo pilot and later as a defence contractor. In that capacity, he reportedly trained US pilots on aircraft including the A-10 ground-attack plane and the F-35, one of the Pentagon’s most advanced stealth fighter jets.
Investigators allege that in August 2023 Brown began negotiating an agreement to provide military flight instruction to Chinese personnel. Prosecutors say he later travelled to China in December 2023 to begin the training arrangement.
The Justice Department also referenced alleged contact between Brown and Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the United States in a separate espionage case and sentenced to prison in 2016.
US authorities have not publicly detailed the scope of the alleged training or whether classified information was involved. However, officials say the case underscores broader concerns about the transfer of sensitive military expertise.
Roman Rozhavsky, an official with the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the Chinese government continues to seek out the knowledge and experience of former US military personnel to enhance its defence capabilities. He described the arrest as a warning that individuals who assist foreign adversaries in ways that could undermine US national security would face legal consequences.
The case comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over military modernisation, technology transfers and security competition in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brown is expected to face federal charges related to arms export controls and unauthorised defence services. Further details are likely to emerge as court proceedings move forward.
