Ex-military Can Be Prosecuted for Training Foreign Soldiers, Government Warns

The legal change came after some 30 former RAF, Navy, and Army pilots were found to have trained Chinese military for lucrative compensation.

An RAF Typhoon fighter jet in an undated file photo. SAC Charlotte Hopkins/MoD/PA

Former military personnel who provide training to foreign armies could face prosecution under a new law, the government warned on Sunday.

Under the National Security Act 2023, which was passed in July, those who train foreign military can be prosecuted for disclosing “protected information” which includes tactics, techniques, and procedures.

The offences were created last year after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that around 30 former pilots from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and the British Army had been hired by a private South African company to train the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force for around $270,000 a year.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who recently took over the MoD after the resignation of Ben Wallace, said, “Anyone found to be acting against the UK’s interests by training our competitors’ militaries can now expect to be pursued and brought to justice.

“The government has acted decisively following the identification of this threat, and has made rapid changes to legislation to help shut it down,” he said.

The UK has also been coordinating with allies to help “highlight and tackle this internationally,” the MoD and the Home Office’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said in a joint statement.

Military personnel who have any concerns or are aware of suspicious activity are encouraged to call the MoD confidential crime line, the statement said.

Mr. Tugendhat warned of “growing threats from foreign states” that the UK is facing.

“In recent years we’ve seen attempts to harm our people, damage our economy, and undermine our democracy. We’ve also seen attempts from countries such as China to solicit national secrets from former Armed Forces personnel,” he said.

“This new Act provides our world class law enforcement and intelligence agencies with new and updated tools to tackle security challenges such as these—and hold those responsible to account.”

Following the MoD’s revelation last year, Carl Schuster, it was reported Beijing had also been targeting military pilots from France, Australia, and Canada.

Former U.S.-military fighter pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan was charged for allegedly training PLA pilots and remanded in Australia. He has denied the allegations.

Besides military personnel, the UK government said earlier this week that the Chinese regime has also tried to headhunt other people in key positions and with sensitive knowledge and experience, including from government, industry, and wider society, in a bid to gain intelligence.

Last month, Mr. Tugendhat issued a warning after The Times of London said one single Chinese agent had targeted “thousands” of people who work in a range of professions with access to classified information or commercially sensitive technology, such as security officials, civil servants, scientists, think tanks, and academics by using fake LinkedIn profiles and fake companies, and offered thousands of pounds for intelligence.

Besides on social media, a number of suspected spying activities have been revealed in recent months, including those connected to the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a department of the CCP Central Committee responsible for gaining political influence in and outside of China.

The Times of London on Tuesday said the Conservative Party removed two potential candidates after MI5 warned about their links with the UFWD.

The publication last week reported on the arrest of a well-connected parliamentary researcher, whom it said may have been recruited by China. The individual has denied the spying allegations, saying he’s completely innocent.

Last year, MI5 issued an alert to Parliament about Christine Ching Kui Lee, who facilitated political donations to a number of parties, parliamentarians, and aspiring parliamentarians, over alleged covert coordination with the UFWD.

An individual connected to one of China’s unofficial “overseas police service stations” in London was also found to have connections to the UFWD.