U.S.–China Military Competition

Federal prosecutors say retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., a former fighter pilot and instructor on aircraft including the F‑4, F‑15, F‑16, A‑10 and later the F‑35 simulator, has been arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana and charged with conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without U.S. authorization. A Justice Department complaint alleges that since at least August 2023 Brown worked through intermediaries to negotiate a contract to train People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilots in combat aircraft operations in China, a service that would require a State Department export license under the Arms Export Control Act that he did not have. Investigators say Brown’s contacts included a co‑conspirator tied to Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the U.S. for hacking major American defense contractors, and that Brown’s own résumé and communications described his intent to instruct Chinese fighter pilots. The case follows similar U.S. efforts to prosecute Western ex‑military aviators who allegedly sell expertise to Beijing, amid growing concern in Washington that China is buying access to U.S.-derived tactics and training to accelerate its air‑force modernization. The charges underscore that former U.S. officers remain subject to export‑control law when dealing with foreign militaries, and signal DOJ’s willingness to pursue such cases as part of a broader counter‑espionage and technology‑protection push.