Indiana — A former U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot has been arrested and charged with illegally providing defense services to Chinese military pilots, according to federal authorities.
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, known by the call sign “Runner,” was taken into custody Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Prosecutors charged Brown by criminal complaint with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to the 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 appearance in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026.
Federal officials allege Brown began conspiring in or around August 2023 to provide combat aircraft training to Chinese military pilots. Under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), such training is considered a defense service that requires a license from the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. Authorities say Brown did not obtain the required authorization.
According to the complaint, Brown traveled to China in December 2023 and remained there until early February 2026. Prosecutors allege that upon arrival he answered questions about the U.S. Air Force and later presented a briefing about himself to PLAAF personnel. Communications cited in the complaint indicate Brown expressed interest in instructing Chinese fighter pilots and returning to a role similar to his previous U.S. Air Force experience.
Brown served more than 24 years in the Air Force, retiring in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his military career, he flew and instructed on multiple aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and A-10 Thunderbolt II. He later worked as a commercial cargo pilot and as a contract simulator instructor training U.S. military pilots on the A-10 and F-35 Lightning II.
Prosecutors allege Brown worked with foreign nationals and a co-conspirator to negotiate the training arrangement. One of the individuals referenced in the complaint is Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack U.S. defense contractors and steal sensitive military data.
In announcing the arrest, officials from the Department of Justice, FBI, and Air Force Office of Special Investigations said unauthorized military training of foreign forces poses a national security risk and emphasized that U.S. persons must obtain proper licensing before providing defense services abroad.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with assistance from other field offices and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Prosecutors from the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are handling the case.
The charges outlined in the criminal complaint are allegations, and Brown is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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