Ex Fighter Pilot Instructor Charged With Providing Defense Services To China

A former US Air Force officer, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., has been arrested and charged with providing unauthorized combat aircraft training to Chinese military aviators. According to the US Department of Justice, Brown allegedly conspired to provide defense services without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. The case is part of a broader pattern of alleged Chinese efforts to tap Western airpower expertise, with US and allied officials warning about the use of private intermediaries to recruit current and former Western military aircrew. This was first reported by AeroTime.