The Justice Department announced the arrest of Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., a former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, charging him with “providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization,” in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
Brown, also known by the call sign “Runner,” was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He is scheduled for an initial appearance before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated: “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.”
Eisenberg added that providing training to foreign military forces without proper authorization from the State Department is illegal under U.S. law.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrest as a “major story,” noting: “The FBI and our partners have arrested a former U.S. Air Force Pilot who was allegedly training pilots in the Chinese military.”
According to court documents, Brown conspired with foreign nationals and U.S. persons since at least August 2023 to provide combat aircraft training to pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The training occurred under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), but Brown lacked the required license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
Brown served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Major in 1996. During his career, he commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems and led combat missions. He also served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on aircraft including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and the A-10 “Thunderbolt II” (Warthog). After retiring, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor for U.S. defense contractors training military pilots on the F-35 Lightning II.
The complaint alleges Brown began arranging contracts with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who pled guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack into U.S. defense contractors’ networks and steal sensitive military data for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Su Bin was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
Brown stated his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations, writing his “objective” as “Instructor Fighter Pilot” in a resume he prepared. A co-conspirator told Brown that he hoped to be assigned to “my base, but otherwise you’ll go where is the local equivalent as the [U.S. Air Force] Weapon School.”
Brown traveled to China in December 2023 and remained until early February 2026.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division stated: “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.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia added: “As an Air Force Officer, Brown 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.”
The Department of Justice emphasized its commitment to holding accountable anyone who collaborates with adversaries to harm U.S. service members.