A former U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot was arrested Wednesday on charges he illegally trained Chinese military pilots, the Justice Department announced.
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, known by the call sign "Runner," was charged in a criminal complaint with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Thursday in the Southern District of Indiana.
Prosecutors allege that beginning in August 2023, Brown conspired with foreign nationals and U.S. persons to provide combat aircraft training to Chinese military pilots without the required State Department license under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
According to the complaint, Brown negotiated training arrangements through intermediaries, including Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the United States for hacking U.S. defense contractors and stealing sensitive military data for China.
Authorities say Brown traveled to China in December 2023 and remained there until returning to the United States in early February 2026.
Officials described the case as part of broader efforts to counter China's recruitment of current and former Western military personnel.
"The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "When U.S. persons provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department."
Brown served more than 24 years in the Air Force, retiring as a major in 1996. During his career, he flew and instructed on multiple aircraft, including the F-4, F-15, F-16, and A-10, and later worked as a contract simulator instructor on the F-35 Lightning II.
If convicted, Brown could face significant penalties under federal export control laws. The investigation is being led by the FBI with assistance from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.