DOJ Announces Arrest of Former US Air Force Pilot for Training Chinese Military Pilots
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that a retired U.S. Air Force pilot has been arrested on charges related to training Chinese military pilots without authorization.
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Indiana. According to prosecutors, the 24-year Air Force veteran is charged by criminal complaint with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.
Authorities allege that beginning around August 2023, Brown conspired with both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens to deliver combat aircraft training to pilots in China’s air force, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Such training qualifies as a regulated defense service under U.S. arms-export laws, and investigators say Brown did not obtain the required State Department license to provide it to foreign military personnel.
Prosecutors further allege that Brown traveled to China intending to conduct the training. Upon arrival, he was reportedly questioned for several hours about the U.S. Air Force and prepared a personal briefing for Chinese military officials.
Major story… the FBI and our partners have arrested a former U.S. Air Force Pilot who was allegedly training pilots in the Chinese military pic.twitter.com/Y7razDr16y
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 26, 2026
“The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a statement. “When U.S. persons — whether military or civilian — provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a State Department license. The National Security Division will use all tools at its disposal to protect our military advantages and hold accountable those who violate the law.”
FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Brown, a former F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot with decades of experience flying U.S. military aircraft, “allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect.” He added that Chinese authorities continue to seek out the expertise of current and former U.S. service members to advance China’s military capabilities.
FBI Director Kash Patel also commented on the arrest on social media, calling it a “major” case involving a former U.S. Air Force pilot accused of training Chinese military aviators.
The investigation is being led by FBI field offices in New York, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles, along with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Brown is scheduled to make his initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
The case remains ongoing.
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