A retired U.S. Air Force major and former F-35 instructor pilot has been arrested and charged with conspiring to provide unauthorized defense services to pilots in China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force, in what federal authorities describe as a grave betrayal of national security after a distinguished 24-year military career.
Gerald Brown Jr., 65, known by his call sign “Runner,” faces violations of the Arms Export Control Act for allegedly delivering combat aircraft training to PLAAF pilots without the required State Department license, prompting swift action by the FBI and Department of Justice to address potential threats to U.S. interests.
The arrest occurred on Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where Brown was taken into custody upon his return from extended time abroad, because he had reportedly spent over two years in China—beginning arrangements in August 2023 and residing there from December 2023 until recently—providing the prohibited training through conspiracies with foreign nationals and U.S. persons.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg stated in the official announcement.
“Allegedly betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect,” remarked Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director at the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, highlighting the severity of the accusations involving sensitive knowledge from Brown’s expertise in nuclear delivery systems and advanced fighter aircraft.
Brown is scheduled for an initial court appearance before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday, as prosecutors pursue the case amid heightened U.S.-China military tensions and concerns over technology transfer and espionage risks.