A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot has been arrested for allegedly providing training to Chinese military personnel without authorization, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday. Gerald Brown, 65, was taken into custody in Indiana after returning to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023.
According to the Department of Justice, Brown is accused of conspiring with foreign nationals to offer fighter aircraft training to pilots within the Chinese Air Force, bypassing the necessary licenses from the U.S. State Department. The alleged scheme involved negotiations beginning in August 2023 with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the U.S. In 2016 for a separate espionage-related offense and sentenced to four years in prison.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated on social media, “Big news… the FBI and our partners have arrested a former U.S. Air Force pilot accused of training pilots in the Chinese military.”
Brown served for 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, holding leadership positions in sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, leading combat missions, and serving as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor for various aircraft, including fighter and attack planes. He retired from military service in 1996 and subsequently worked as a cargo pilot.
More recently, Brown operated as a U.S. Defense contractor, providing training to American pilots on advanced fighter jets such as the A-10 and F-35. The Justice Department alleges that he traveled to China in December 2023 to begin his training function.
Roman Rozhavsky, an assistant director within the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, emphasized the severity of the situation. “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,” Rozhavsky said. “This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will not cease in holding accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to jeopardize our military personnel and threaten our national security.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia stated that Brown, “and anyone who conspires against our Nation” will be held accountable for their actions.