In February, the Justice Department announced the arrest of a former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., for “providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.” (Could this be the only law he violated?)
The officials quoted in Justice’s press release spoke of how Brown had been trained to be an elite fighter pilot, had accumulated decades of experience, and had taken an oath to defend the United States; but had now, in the words of the FBI’s Roman Rozhavsky, “betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect.”
Conspirators
In August 2023, Brown “began arranging the terms of his contract to train Chinese military pilots, using a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Bin.” Su Bin, a Chinese national, had years earlier gotten into hot water with the U.S. by hacking into the computers of U.S. defense contractors to steal military secrets. But in 2016 he was sentenced to just “nearly” four years in prison for this crime.
In December 2023, Brown went to the People’s Republic of China to begin training pilots in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. He remained there until February 2026.
A new report based on court proceedings reveals that Brown not only “taught Chinese airman secret US tactics” but also spied on U.S. airmen based in South Korea for China. And that the feds found fake currency and a fake passport in his home (Task & Purpose, May 5, 2025).
The retired pilot, who worked on an F-35 simulator program in the U.S. before moving to China, is accused of betraying secrets that included U.S dogfighting techniques and tactics to suppress air defenses. From a People’s Liberation Army Air Force base in northern China, Brown taught local pilots, held briefings on U.S. capabilities, and eventually helped spy on American airmen in South Korea, according to prosecutors….
Brown was allegedly paid more than $18,000 per month—plus benefits, including a Thailand vacation—after going to work for the Chinese company Stratos Aviation. U.S. intelligence has accused the business of hiring Western and NATO pilots to exploit their tactical knowledge….
Though Brown never flew an F-35 during his Air Force career, his role running the simulator would have made him privy to the same closely guarded secrets as the pilots of those 5th-generation stealth fighters….
In China, Brown worked at a major PLAAF training base in Shijiazhuang, southwest of Beijing, and taught courses on electronic warfare and how to suppress enemy air defenses. However, his alleged activities on China’s behalf weren’t limited to teaching.
In May 2024, Brown traveled to South Korea, where he had previously worked as an A-10 simulator instructor, to meet with U.S. Air Force personnel and furtively collect documents that Chinese military intelligence wanted to read, according to prosecutors. When he returned to China, Brown was debriefed by Chinese officials and turned over his electronic devices for them to exploit, prosecutors said.
Brown took steps to cover his tracks. But even if he hadn’t, he would be in no position to argue that he just had no idea that training PLA pilots in China and spying on U.S. Air Force personnel on behalf of China are against U.S. law.
According to prosecutors’ court filings, Brown faces “a substantial prison sentence of at least 6-8 years.” Well, that’s more than “almost four years.”
Also see:
StoptheCCP.org: “What the Heck Is the PLA Doing With Western Pilots?”
