Former U.S. pilots face charges tied to China

June 2, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

Prosecutors said two former U.S. military pilots provided, or planned to provide, training to Chinese military personnel without authorization.

Why this matters

The cases tested how far U.S. export-control laws extended to former service members’ skills and highlighted concerns among Western governments about efforts to recruit military veterans. They also underscored how aviation training could carry strategic value even without the transfer of classified documents.

Federal prosecutors accused retired Air Force Maj. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. of traveling to China in December 2023 to train military pilots without required U.S. authorization, part of what officials described as a broader Chinese effort to recruit former Western military personnel.

Brown was arrested in Indiana in February 2026. Prosecutors said he served more than 24 years in the Air Force, flew combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, instructed fighter pilots, and held Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance. His service included flying the F-4, F-15, F-16, F-111, A-10, and AT-38.

After retiring, Brown worked in civilian aviation, including for UPS, where he traveled to China more than 30 times. He was fired in 2017 after a cockpit altercation, and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilot’s license in 2018, according to court filings. He later worked as a simulator instructor and for defense contractors. Prosecutors said he lost jobs in South Korea in 2022 and at Lockheed Martin in 2023 after workplace allegations and an inability to obtain a required clearance.

Investigators said Brown was recruited in 2023 through a former Ecuadorian Air Force pilot working in China. According to the affidavit, Brown responded “I’m in!” when told Chinese programs needed fighter pilots. Prosecutors said he submitted a resume titled “Instructor Fighter Pilot” and later wrote, “I think we better keep this quiet.” They also alleged he asked others not to disclose his travel, discussed secure communications, and remained in China until early 2026, where he answered questions about the Air Force and gave presentations to People’s Liberation Army Air Force members.

The case parallels that of former Marine aviator Daniel Edmund Duggan, who has fought extradition from Australia since his 2022 arrest at the United States’ request. Prosecutors alleged Duggan worked through the Test Flying Academy of South Africa from 2010 to 2012 to train Chinese military pilots in carrier aviation.

Brown’s affidavit identified Chinese national Stephen Su Bin as part of the recruitment effort. Su Bin previously pleaded guilty in the United States in a conspiracy to hack defense contractors and steal military-related information for China. The affidavit said he also had ties to the South African flight academy and had worked with Duggan.

Neither Brown nor Duggan were accused of stealing classified documents. Prosecutors said the cases centered on whether military training and expertise constituted controlled defense services under U.S. export law.

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“What we are seeing is that the places that have the iPhone have big fertility changes relative to the other places,” Myers told CBS News.

The study used a natural experiment created by the iPhone’s exclusive availability on AT&T from 2007 through 2011. Myers compared birth rates in U.S. counties with broad AT&T coverage, and therefore early iPhone access, with counties that had limited access.

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