A former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot is accused of illegally training members of the People’s Liberation Army.
Gerald Brown Jr. was arrested Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, according to the U.S. Justice Department. His actions violated the Arms Export Control Act, prosecutors said.
Brown was set to appear before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday.
“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,” Jeanine Ferris Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement. “We will hold Brown, and anyone conspiring against our nation, accountable for their actions. The Department of Justice and my prosecutors are steadfast in our commitment to use every lawful tool available to keep American military expertise where it belongs—here in America.”
Brown served for over 24 years in the Air Force and left active duty in 1996 with the rank of major, investigators said. He commanded units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor for a number of military aircraft, including the F-4, F-15, F-16, and A-10 Warthog.
After leaving the military, Brown served as a commercial cargo pilot. More recently, he worked as a contract simulator instructor for two defense contractors training U.S. military pilots on flying the A-10 and F-35.
The DOJ alleges that Brown worked with both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese air force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, starting in 2023. The training constitutes a defense service under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the department said, and Brown lacked the required license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to provide that training to foreign individuals or foreign military units.
In communications seized by law enforcement, Brown unambiguously stated his intent to “fly and instruct fighter pilots again,” according to prosecutors.
He remained in China until returning to the U.S. this month.
The case against Brown is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with assistance from the bureau’s Louisville, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles field offices, as well as the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.