Former Pilot Charged with Violating Arms Export Control Act

DOJ Export Control News

Filed February 25th, 2026

Detected March 1st, 2026

Summary

The Department of Justice announced the arrest of Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., a former U.S. Air Force pilot, for allegedly providing unauthorized defense services and training to Chinese military pilots. This action is in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

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What changed

The Department of Justice, through the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division, has arrested and charged former U.S. Air Force Major Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr. with violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and conspiring to provide unauthorized defense services. Brown, a retired pilot with extensive experience, is accused of training Chinese military pilots since August 2023 without the required State Department license, thereby jeopardizing U.S. military advantages and national security.

This enforcement action highlights the government's commitment to prosecuting individuals who compromise national security by transferring sensitive military expertise to foreign adversaries. Regulated entities, particularly those with access to defense technology or expertise, should be aware of the strict licensing requirements under ITAR and AECA. Failure to comply can result in severe criminal penalties, including imprisonment and substantial fines, as exemplified by the charges against Brown.

What to do next

Review internal policies and training procedures for compliance with AECA and ITAR.
Ensure all personnel with access to sensitive defense information are aware of export control regulations.
Verify that all necessary licenses are obtained before providing any defense services to foreign entities.

Penalties

Criminal penalties including imprisonment and fines.

Source document (simplified)

Press Release

Former U.S. Air Force Pilot Arrested, Charged with Providing Defense Services to the Chinese Military

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Share For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia USADC.Media@usdoj.gov WASHINGTON –Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., 65, a former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, was arrested today in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged by criminal complaint for providing, and conspiring to provide, unauthorized defense services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

Brown, also known by the call sign “Runner,” is expected to have his initial appearance tomorrow, February 26, before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana.

“As an Air Force officer, Brown took an oath to defend our Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. He allegedly broke that oath and betrayed the country, jeopardizing the safety of our servicemembers and allies,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “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.”

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “When U.S. persons – whether military or civilian - provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department. The National Security Division will use all tools at its disposal to protect our military advantages and hold to account those who would violate the AECA."

“Gerald 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,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the U.S. armed forces to modernize China’s military capabilities. This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security.”

According to the complaint, since August 2023, Brown willfully conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). This training was a defense service under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Brown lacked the required license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to provide that training to foreign persons or foreign military units.

Brown served for more than 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his military career, Brown commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on a variety of fighter and attack aircraft, including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and the A-10 “Thunderbolt II” (Warthog). Brown then served as a commercial cargo pilot and, most recently, as a contract simulator instructor for two different U.S. defense contractors training U.S. military pilots on flying the A-10 and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

In August 2023, Brown began arranging the terms of his contract to train Chinese military pilots, using a co-conspirator to negotiate with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who in 2016 pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to conspiring to hack into the computer networks of major U.S. defense contractors and to steal sensitive military and export-controlled data for the PRC. Su Bin was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. Su Bin and his company PRC Lode Technology Company also were added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in 2014.

Throughout these communications, Brown consistently stated his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations. In the resumé he prepared for his application, Brown wrote his “objective” as “Instructor Fighter Pilot.” A co-conspirator told Brown that he hoped Brown would be assigned to “my base, but otherwise you’ll go where is the local equivalent as the [U.S. Air Force] Weapon School.” Later, Brown stated to a co-conspirator that, upon his arrival in China, “Now…. I have the chance to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!”

In December 2023, Brown traveled to China to begin his work training PRC military pilots. After his arrival, Brown answered questions for three hours about the U.S. Air Force on his first day in the PRC and then, on his second day, prepared and presented a brief about himself for the PLAAF. Brown remained in China until he traveled to the United States in early February 2026.

The charges against Brown follow similar charges filed in September 2017 against former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan in the District of Columbia. Duggan was charged with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, as well as for conspiring to engage in international money laundering. Like Brown, Duggan received significant training during his career as a pilot in the U.S. military, then used that training for the benefit of the Chinese military. In particular, Duggan is alleged to have trained Chinese military pilots on the tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with takeoff from and landing on an aircraft carrier. Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 and is currently pending extradition to the United States.

“Providing U.S. military training to our adversaries represents a significant threat to national security,” said Lee M. Russ, Executive Director of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Office of Special Projects. “AFOSI remains committed to countering the threat posed by those who violate the trust placed in them and endanger our service members.”

“Retired U.S. Air Force Major Gerald Brown allegedly sold out his country to train Chinese pilots with his expertise in United States’ combat aircraft techniques. Brown’s alleged betrayal exposed sensitive military tactics, threatening the security of our nation, our armed forces, and our allies,” said FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle. “May today’s arrest emphasize the FBI’s steadfast promise to defend the homeland against all foreign and domestic adversaries.”

In June 2024, the United States, along with the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand, published a bulletin warning that “China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to target current and former military personnel from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations and other Western countries to help bolster the PLA’s capabilities.”

In February 2025, Gen. James B. Hecker, the then-commander of NATO Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, stated: “Once you fly on our team, even after you hang up your uniform, you have a responsibility to protect our tactics, techniques and procedures.”

The case against Brown is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with valuable assistance from the FBI’s Louisville, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles Field Offices. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations also provided substantial assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven B. Wasserman from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from National Security Division Paralegal Specialist Derra McQuaig. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

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An indictment, complaint, or criminal information is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated February 25, 2026 Topic Export Control Components Office of the Attorney General Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - District of Columbia