A former US Air Force Major, who once trained American pilots on the F-35 Lightning II, has been arrested for allegedly providing combat aircraft training to Chinese military pilots without the required US authorisation. The Justice Department said 65-year-old Gerald Eddie Brown Jr, known by the call sign “Runner”, was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The arrest, confirmed by the Justice Department, has triggered wider scrutiny not only because of Brown’s career profile, which included responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, but also due to alleged links to a previously convicted Chinese hacker and earlier, similar cases involving Western-trained pilots.
What the charges say
According to IANS, Brown has been charged by criminal complaint for providing and conspiring to provide defence services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). Under US law, training a foreign military in combat aviation is classified as a defence service and requires a licence from the State Department.
Prosecutors allege Brown began arranging a contract in August 2023 to train Chinese military pilots. In December 2023, he travelled to China to begin the training and remained there until early February 2026, when he returned to the United States.
He is expected to appear before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana.
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defence of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said, as quoted by IANS.
He added that providing such training without a State Department licence is illegal and that the National Security Division would act to protect US military advantages.
Brown’s military background
Brown served more than 24 years in the US Air Force and retired in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his service, he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems and flew aircraft including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and A-10 “Thunderbolt II.”
After leaving active duty, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor, training US military pilots on the A-10 and the F-35 Lightning II.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division described Brown as a former F-35 instructor pilot who “allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect,” according to IANS.
Rozhavsky said the Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former US armed forces personnel to modernise its military capabilities.
Alleged links to a convicted hacker
Federal prosecutors have alleged that Brown used a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who, in 2016, pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiring to hack major US defence contractors and steal sensitive military data for the People’s Republic of China.
The earlier hacking case involved the theft of military-related data from major defence contractors.
The complaint against Brown centres on the allegation that he entered into arrangements to train Chinese military pilots without authorisation, not on any hacking charge.
The “network” question raised online
The case has also drawn commentary beyond official statements. In a widely shared post on X, independent analyst Shanaka Anslem Perera described the arrest as part of a broader pattern, arguing that “the story everyone is missing is not the arrest. It is the network behind it.”
Perera’s post highlighted that Stephen Su Bin had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal sensitive US defence data, including related to advanced aircraft. He suggested that the alleged contact between Brown and a network linked to Su Bin pointed to a deeper recruitment effort targeting Western-trained pilots.
While US prosecutors have confirmed that Brown allegedly negotiated via a co-conspirator connected to Su Bin, the Justice Department’s complaint focuses on alleged violations of export control laws rather than a wider espionage conspiracy.
Not the first such case
The charges against Brown follow earlier allegations against former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan. Duggan was charged in 2017 with providing defence services to Chinese military pilots without authorisation and was arrested in Australia in 2022. He is pending extradition to the United States.
The recurrence of such cases has fuelled concerns in Washington about foreign recruitment of Western military pilots and the transfer of high-end aviation expertise.
For now, Brown faces a criminal complaint under the AECA. The court proceedings will determine his legal culpability.