‘Betrayed the country’: Former Air Force pilot charged with conspiring to train Chinese military

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WAVE/Gray News) - A former U.S. Air Force pilot is facing charges for allegedly training and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization.

According to the Department of Justice, 65-year-old Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. violated the Arms Export Control Act.

“As an Air Force Officer, Brown took an oath to defend our Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic; he broke that oath, and betrayed the country, jeopardizing the safety of our servicemembers and allies,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said. “We will hold Brown and anyone conspiring against our Nation accountable for their actions.”

Brown is believed to have conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, dating back to August 2023.

The DOJ says that Brown began using a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Din, a Chinese national who pled guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack computer networks used by U.S. defense contractors to steal sensitive military and export-controlled data for the People’s Republic of China.

Officials said that Brown traveled to China in 2023 to start training pilots. Upon his arrival, Brown allegedly answered questions for three hours about the U.S. Air Force.

Brown stayed in China until traveling back to the U.S. this month.

The 65-year-old made his initial court appearance on Thursday, where a judge ordered that the former F-35 instructor pilot continue to be held in custody.

Brown served for more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force, leaving active duty in 1996 with the rank of major, officials said.