Some former NATO and U.S. Air Force pilots somehow end up tendering their services to “private” aviation companies linked to the People’s Republic of China.
Don’t do that, says General James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa and of NATO Allied Air Command (“Four-star warns pilots: Steer clear of PRC-backed aviation companies,” USAFE, February 28, 2025).
Stay on our side
“Once you fly on our team, even after you hang up your uniform, you have a responsibility to protect our tactics, techniques and procedures,” the general says.
“The new laws passed last year are proof that allies will seek to hold individuals accountable when they compromise the safety of our teammates by pursuing employment backed by our adversaries. We welcome these legal changes and encourage others allies to consider similar measures.”
Hecker is referring to laws recently passed or updated by the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany to provide penalties, including jail time, for service members who provide defense services to foreign adversaries or share military intelligence with them. The United States also restricts or outlaws such activities. Similar laws are being considered by other NATO countries.
The problem is not hypothetical.
According to USAFE, the People’s Liberation army actively recruits “current and former military personnel from NATO nations and other Western countries to help bolster the PLA’s capabilities…. The PLA has used private companies, like the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, Beijing China Aviation Technology Company, and Stratos, to hire former fighter pilots from Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and other Western nations to train PLA Air Force and Navy aviators.”
Why the Western-nation or NATO pilots would want to work directly or indirectly for the PLA, or, if not intending to do so, why they would fail to realize the nature of the outfits they’re signing up for is not explored in the article.
Insight
Brigadier General Amy Bumgarner, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, says: “The insight the PLA gains from Western military talent threatens the safety of the targeted recruits, their fellow service members and U.S. and allied security.”
The coveted insight is probably less about how to fly a plane than about various classified information that the PLA might elicit: “How would you evade detection? How was your unit organized? How exactly does your support organization support you? What are the special features and capabilities of your aircraft?” (As James Roth frames the possible interrogatories.)
Anyway, don’t do it, the top brass warns.
Also see:
Office of Special Investigations: “Submit a tip”
USAFE says that if you’re “a current or former service member and you or someone you know has been recruited to train foreign militaries, contact your local AFOSI detachment immediately or fill out” the above-linked form.
StoptheCCP.org: “What the Heck Is the PLA Doing With Western Pilots?”
