Former US Air Force Pilot Arrested for Allegedly Providing Combat Training to Chinese Military

The Chinese government is exploiting the expertise of former and current U.S. military members to modernize its own capabilities, said an FBI official.

U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., takes off from the runway at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) during exercise Sentry South 26.1 at the Savannah Air National Guard Base (ANG), Ga., on Jan. 21, 2026. Staff Sgt. Josiah Meece/U.S. Air National Guard

A former U.S. Air Force pilot has been arrested and charged on suspicion of providing combat training to Chinese military pilots without requisite authorization, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Feb. 25 statement.

Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged with violation of the Arms Export Control Act.