A retired U.S. Air Force officer who once trained American fighter pilots is facing federal charges for training Chinese military pilots to fly in combat operations, according to a criminal complaint in federal court.
The former officer, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Ind., and charged with providing defense services to members of China’s air force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, without approval from the U.S. State Department, according to a criminal complaint.
It was not clear why Mr. Brown, who served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and left active duty in 1996 with the rank of major, agreed to help the Chinese military. Prosecutors said, however, that he appeared eager to begin after negotiating contract terms around August 2023. According to the Justice Department, he told a co-conspirator, “Now … I have the chance to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!”
Mr. Brown appeared before a federal judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday. His case was transferred to Washington, D.C., according to a report from WDRB, a television station in Louisville, Ky.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As of Friday evening, no lawyer was listed in Mr. Brown’s case file.
Mr. Brown began arranging the work around August 2023. He went through an intermediary named Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese businessman who pleaded guilty in 2016 to helping hack into the computer systems of a major U.S. defense contractor and stealing military data for China, according to the Justice Department.
Mr. Su Bin served about four years in prison, the department said.
Around December 2023, Mr. Brown traveled to China, where he worked with pilots from the Chinese air force, according to the complaint. On his first day, he spent hours answering questions about the U.S. Air Force. On the second day, he gave a presentation about his background and experience. He returned to the United States in early February 2026, according to the complaint.
The Arms Export Control Act prohibits Americans from training members of foreign military forces in certain skills without a license from the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Brown did not have one, the complaint said.
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our nation,” John A. Eisenberg, an assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement. “He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots.”
During Mr. Brown’s career, he flew combat missions, commanded units responsible for nuclear delivery systems and trained pilots, the complaint said.
After retiring from active duty, he flew commercial cargo planes and later worked as a simulator instructor for defense contractors, helping U.S. pilots train on the A-10 and F-35 Lightning fighter planes, according to the complaint.
Roman Rozhavsky, an assistant director in the F.B.I.’s counterintelligence division, said in a statement that China has sought to recruit former Western military personnel to strengthen its armed forces. In 2024, the United States and several allied countries issued a public warning that China was recruiting current and former service members for that purpose.
The U.S. has also accused Chinese companies of recruiting Western pilots and training Chinese military personnel. In June 2023, the U.S. imposed new export restrictions on China.
Responding at the time, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson accused Washington of exaggerating national security concerns, and “politicizing” and “weaponizing” economic and technological issues to “contain China and suppress Chinese companies.”
Susan C. Beachy and Xinyun Wu contributed research.
Mark Walker is a Times reporter who covers breaking news and culture.
The post Former U.S. Air Force Officer Is Accused of Training Chinese Military Pilots appeared first on New York Times.
