Former U.S. Air Force officer and F-35 pilot Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. was arrested Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on charges of allegedly providing unauthorized defense services to the Chinese military.Brown, 65, was criminally charged with providing or conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act (AECA).Brown is expected to make his first appearance before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday, February 26.FBI Director Kash Patel shared news of the arrest on“Gerald Brown, a former F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot with decades of experience flying U.S. military aircraft, allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight the very people he was sworn to protect,” Roman Rozavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice.“The Chinese government continues to leverage the expertise of current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces to modernize China’s military capabilities. This arrest is a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who colludes with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security,” he further added.Since at least August 2023, Brown conspired with foreigners and Americans to provide fighter jet training for pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).The training is said to constitute “defense services” under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). As an ITAR U.S. person, Brown must obtain permission from the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) before providing such training to foreign military personnel. Prosecutors said he did not have the required authorization.In December 2023, Brown went to China to start training Chinese Air Force pilots. He allegedly answered questions about the U.S. Air Force for three hours on his first day there and gave a personal briefing to the Chinese military the next day. He remained in China until returning to the United States in early February 2026.Investigators said Brown arranged the terms of his training contract through a co-conspirator who negotiated with Chinese national Stephen Su Bin, who was convicted in the United States for hacking major U.S. defense contractors and stealing sensitive military data for China.Su Bin pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. He and his company, PRC Lode Technology Company, were placed on the Entity List by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2014.The indictment alleges that Brown publicly expressed his intention to train Chinese military pilots. In the resume he prepared, he listed his goal as “fighter pilot instructor.” In messages cited by prosecutors, a co-conspirator told him he wanted Brown assigned to “my base, but otherwise you’re going to the local equivalent.” [US Air Force] Weapons School. ” Brown later wrote, “Now…I have the opportunity to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!” the statement added.Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a statement, “The U.S. Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our country. He is now responsible for training Chinese military pilots.”“When Americans, whether military or civilian, provide training to foreign military forces, the activity is illegal unless licensed by the Department of State. National security will use every tool at its disposal to protect our military advantage and hold accountable those who violate AECA. ” Eisenberg added.The FBI’s New York field office is investigating the case with assistance from its Louisville, Indianapolis and Los Angeles field offices. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations also provided support.The charges against Brown follow similar charges against former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who was charged in 2017 with providing unauthorized defense services to Chinese military pilots and conspiring to commit international money laundering. Dugan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 and is currently awaiting extradition to the United States.
Who is F-35 pilot Gerald Eddie Brown Jr.?
Brown served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 24 years, retiring in 1996 with the rank of major. During his career, he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor.He has flown multiple advanced aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunder II (Warthog). After retirement, he served as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor for a U.S. defense contractor, training U.S. military pilots on the A-10 and F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters.
