A retired U.S. Air Force officer has been charged after allegedly teaching Chinese combat pilots the tricks of the trade.
Retired Maj. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on Wednesday, according to a Department of Justice news release.
He was charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act by allegedly helping China train its air force.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said.
“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,” he said.
Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said that Brown “allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect.”
“The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the U.S. armed forces to modernize China’s military capabilities. This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security,” he said.
🚨🇺🇸🇨🇳 Former Air Force Major Gerald “Runner” Brown arrested for training Chinese military pilots without authorization.
Brown was an F-35 instructor pilot with 24 years of experience flying F-4s, F-15s, F-16s, and A-10s.
He traveled to China in 2023 and spent his first day… pic.twitter.com/1da9dhZRBM
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 26, 2026
The release said Brown’s experience including training pilots in flying the F-35 fighter.
“As an Air Force Officer, Brown took an oath to defend our Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic, he broke that oath, and betrayed the country, jeopardizing the safety of our servicemembers and allies,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.
“We will hold Brown, and anyone conspiring against our Nation, accountable for their actions. The Department of Justice and my prosecutors are steadfast in our commitment to use every lawful tool available to keep American military expertise where it belongs — here in America,” she added.
The complaint said Brown, who left active duty in 1996 after 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, was an instructor in the Air Force and also for defense contractors.
The complaint said Brown began working with the Chinese in August 2023 and went to China in December of that year to begin training pilots.
He remained there until this month, when he returned to the U.S. and was arrested.
The complaint linked Brown to Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who in 2016 pled guilty to conspiring to hack into the computer networks of major U.S. defense contractors and steal data for China.
Brown made no secret of his intent to train Chinese fighter pilots, the complaint said.
“Providing U.S. military training to our adversaries represents a significant threat to national security,” Lee M. Russ, executive director of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Office of Special Projects, said.
The release noted that Brown is not the first former U.S. service member charged with helping China. Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan was charged with a similar crime in 2017. Duggan was arrested in Australia in 2022 and is being held there until he can be extradited to the U.S.
The release quoted Gen. James B. Hecker, former commander of NATO Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, as saying in 2025: “Once you fly on our team, even after you hang up your uniform, you have a responsibility to protect our tactics, techniques and procedures.”
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