U.S. Tactics Leaked? F‑35 Instructor Nabbed

F-35 military jets parked on an airfield with crew members nearby

A former American fighter pilot now stands accused of teaching Chinese military aviators how to fight our own troops, exposing a troubling global market for U.S. combat expertise that Beijing is eager to exploit.

Story Snapshot

Former Air Force Major Gerald “Runner” Brown is charged with illegally providing combat training to Chinese military pilots.
Prosecutors say he conspired with foreign nationals after 2023 and trained pilots from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force without a license.
The case fits a broader pattern of Beijing using private channels to hire Western pilots and absorb American tactics.
Another high‑profile case involving former Marine pilot Daniel Duggan shows this problem has been building for more than a decade.

Federal Charges Against a Former U.S. Fighter Pilot

Federal prosecutors say retired Air Force officer and fighter pilot Major Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, after a 24‑year career training American pilots on advanced combat aircraft, including the F‑35. ^[2]^[4] The Department of Justice charged him with “providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization” under the Arms Export Control Act, which regulates export of U.S. defense services and requires prior government approval. ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

According to the criminal complaint, prosecutors allege that since at least August 2023, Brown willfully conspired with foreign nationals and other Americans to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. ^[1]^[2]^[4] Officials say this training qualifies as a regulated “defense service” under export rules, and that Brown did not have the required license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. ^[1]^[2]^[6]

What Brown Is Accused of Teaching China’s Pilots

Reporting based on federal documents and court filings says Brown spent roughly two years in China, where he allegedly worked directly with the People’s Liberation Army, sharing American systems knowledge and training Chinese pilots in combat operations. ^[3]^[5] Communications cited in those reports describe Brown repeatedly expressing an intent to train Chinese military pilots in combat aircraft operations, voicing excitement about the chance to “fly and instruct fighter pilots again.” ^[3]

Additional reporting states that Brown, a former F‑35 Lightning II instructor pilot, is accused of briefing Chinese military aviators on the F‑35 and on electronic warfare topics, potentially giving a strategic adversary insight into American tactics and capabilities. ^[3]^[6] Sandboxx and related coverage frame the allegation as Brown teaching “American systems and tactics,” including elite air‑to‑air combat methods that U.S. pilots would use in any future conflict with China. ^[3] Officials stress, however, that these details remain allegations contained in a complaint, not yet proven at trial. ^[5]

Beijing’s Growing Market for Western Combat Expertise

Air Force reporting quoted by multiple outlets says the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has used private companies to recruit former Western military aviators, including from the United States, to train its Air Force and Navy pilots. ^[4] These companies reportedly include entities such as the Test Flying Academy of South Africa and Beijing China Aviation Technology, which act as intermediaries to mask Chinese military involvement while tapping Western combat experience. ^[4] Brown’s case is presented by officials as one more episode in that ongoing pattern.

Separate advocacy and security research has warned that flight schools in the United States and Canada have also trained Chinese pilots and actively recruited instructors from other nations, blurring lines between civilian and military training. National security officials argue that when former American pilots export knowledge of U.S. tactics—especially carrier operations, advanced sensors, and electronic warfare—it can help foreign forces “red team” our strengths and design counters. ^[3]^[6] That is why the Arms Export Control Act treats certain specialized training as a defense export requiring strict licensing. ^[1]^[2]

Another Case: Former Marine Pilot Daniel Duggan

The Brown complaint is not the first time U.S. authorities have pursued former aviators over alleged training of Chinese military pilots. ^[1]^[7] In a separate case, Australian authorities arrested former Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan in response to a United States request, with an indictment accusing him of providing carrier-operations training to Chinese pilots more than a decade ago and receiving over $182,000 for those services. ^[7] American prosecutors say those trainees were Chinese military aviators, not civilian students as Duggan has claimed. ^[7]

Coverage of Duggan’s case reports that he “100 percent denies” knowingly training Chinese military pilots and says he believed he was teaching civilian pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012. ^[7] Duggan is fighting extradition through Australia’s courts and faces a potential decades‑long sentence if convicted on charges that include providing defense services without authorization and related offenses. ^[7] Both Brown and Duggan cases demonstrate how these prosecutions often hinge on what defendants knew about their students and whether they had proper State Department authorization. ^[1]^[2]