Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. spent decades in the US Air Force before allegedly spending years teaching those skills to America’s most capable adversary
The Betrayal
On February 26, 2026, the US Department of Justice announced the arrest of Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., a 65-year-old former US Air Force officer, on charges of violating the Arms Export Control Act. Brown is accused of conspiring with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force – beginning as early as August 2023 and continuing until his return to the United States in February 2026.
US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro was unsparing in her assessment. Brown, she stated, “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.” A judge ordered Brown held in custody at his initial court appearance. He served more than two decades in the US Air Force, reaching the rank of major before leaving active duty in 1996. He went on to work as an F-35 instructor pilot – giving him access to knowledge about America’s most advanced combat aircraft.
The Stephen Su Connection
According to the Department of Justice, Brown did not act alone. He used a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Din – a Chinese national who had already pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack computer networks used by US defense contractors and steal sensitive military and export-controlled data for the People’s Republic of China. The link between Brown and a known espionage operative who had previously targeted US defense contractors is not coincidental. It reflects a systematic Chinese effort to recruit Western military professionals with exactly the kind of expertise Brown possessed.
Brown traveled to China in 2023 to begin training PLA pilots. Upon arrival, he was subjected to three hours of detailed questioning about the US Air Force – a debriefing that was itself a significant intelligence operation, separate from whatever training he subsequently provided. He remained in China until returning to the United States in early 2026, where he was arrested.
A Pattern of Systematic Recruitment
Brown’s case is part of a well-documented pattern. Five Eyes intelligence agencies – the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – issued a joint bulletin in 2023 warning that China was systematically targeting military aviation expertise from Western nations. Former pilots from the UK, South Africa, Australia, and other countries have been identified as recruits in Chinese programs designed to train PLA pilots in Western air combat doctrine and tactics.
The value of such recruitment is straightforward. China cannot replicate decades of Western air combat experience through exercises alone. By recruiting pilots who have flown and fought within NATO-standard doctrines, Beijing can accelerate its understanding of how Western air forces think, plan, and execute. The knowledge Brown brought to China – including his F-35 instructor experience – is precisely the kind of information that could meaningfully reduce the PLA’s learning curve against the aircraft Taiwan and other US allies depend on for their defense.
The Legal and Strategic Stakes
The Arms Export Control Act violation Brown faces carries significant penalties. But the legal case is only one dimension of the issue. The strategic question is how many other cases like Brown’s exist that have not yet been identified and prosecuted. The DOJ’s National Security Division has made Chinese military recruitment of Western defense expertise a priority, but the scale of China’s talent acquisition programs suggests that prosecutions represent a fraction of the actual activity.
For allies in the Indo-Pacific – particularly Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines – the knowledge that China is systematically acquiring Western air combat doctrine through recruitment of former military professionals adds another dimension to an already alarming threat picture. Defense against a PLA that understands F-35 tactics from the inside is qualitatively different from defense against one that does not. This is not merely a law enforcement matter. It is a national security emergency that demands coordinated allied response.
Pui Yi Cheung
Economy & Labor Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: puiyi.cheung@appledaily.uk
Pui Yi Cheung is an economy and labor journalist with expertise in employment trends, small business dynamics, and workers’ rights. Educated at a respected UK journalism school, she received formal training in economic reporting, data literacy, and investigative techniques, equipping her to cover complex financial topics accurately.
She has contributed to Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese newspapers, reporting on wage policy, employment conditions, labor organizing, and the economic challenges facing diaspora communities. Her work emphasizes firsthand interviews and careful examination of official statistics and regulatory documents.
Pui Yi brings real newsroom experience in translating economic data into accessible reporting without sacrificing accuracy. She is known for methodical fact-checking and for consulting independent experts when covering technical subjects.
Her authority is reinforced by consistent editorial oversight and adherence to transparency standards, including clear sourcing and prompt corrections when required.
At Apple Daily UK, Pui Yi Cheung produces trustworthy economic journalism grounded in evidence, professional experience, and public-interest reporting.
