A former U.S. Air Force officer has been arrested on charges that he provided unauthorized defense services to pilots of the Chinese military.
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. was taken into custody Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged under the Arms Export Control Act, which gives the Secretary of State the authority to regulate the export of defense articles and services.
“As an Air Force officer, Brown took an oath to defend our Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in the statement.
“He allegedly broke that oath and betrayed the country, jeopardizing the safety of our servicemembers and allies,” Pirro continued.
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Brown, who served more than 24 years and retired as a major in 1996, was known by the call sign “Runner.” He worked as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor for aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
After leaving the service, Brown operated as a commercial cargo pilot and a contract simulator instructor for U.S. defense contractors training pilots on operating the A-10 and F-35.
Prosecutors allege that in August 2023 he began reworking his contracts to train pilots in the Chinese Air Force, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, with the help of foreign nationals and co-conspirator Stephen Su Bin.
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Yesterday, Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., 65, a former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged by criminal complaint for providing, and conspiring to provide, unauthorized defense services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the… pic.twitter.com/vqspOj3zXR
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) February 26, 2026
Brown did not hold the proper authorization from the State Department to provide training to the Chinese military.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in the statement.
The complaint asserts that Brown, in his communications with Su Bin, repeatedly stated his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations and listed in his resume that his objective was “instructor fighter pilot.”
The release notes that Brown told a co-conspirator upon his arrival in China that, “Now…. I have the chance to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!”
Brown arrived in China in December 2023 to train the PRC pilots, and on his first day answered questions about the U.S. Air Force for three hours, according to the DOJ. He remained in China until returning to the United States in early February 2026.
U.S. officials have long warned about the Chinese PLA’s efforts to recruit former Western military personnel to bolster its own capabilities.
The release highlights the perceived similarities between Brown’s case and the earlier charges against U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017.
Duggan, a naturalized Australian citizen, faced charges for training Chinese pilots on aircraft carrier takeoffs and landings and is awaiting extradition.
“Once you fly on our team, even after you hang up your uniform, you have a responsibility to protect our tactics, techniques and procedures,” Gen. James B. Hecker, then-commander of NATO Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a February 2025 release.
He further cautioned former service members to avoid employment with privately owned aviation companies that back the PRC.
Brown is scheduled for an initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana.
The prosecution effort is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with support from the Southern District of Indiana.
This case underscores a core priority of the Trump administration: protect American military personnel and technology from adversaries who seek to exploit gaps in export controls.
It also reflects a broader message that accountability will follow anyone who betrays the country’s security for private gain.
In an era of intensified strategic competition with China, the emphasis remains on enforcing licensing requirements and strengthening the safeguards that prevent sensitive training from falling into the wrong hands.
As supporters of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would argue, a steadfast, law-based approach to export controls and personnel integrity is essential to deter national-security threats and defend the nation’s frontline capabilities.
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