A highly experienced retired Air Force pilot with the highest security clearances has been charged with sharing those secrets with Chinese military pilots. Gerald Eddie Brown, 65, was arrested and charged Wednesday with violating the Arms Export Control Act by training People’s Liberation Army air force pilots. “Providing U.S. military training to our adversaries represents a significant threat to national security,” Lee Russ, executive director of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Office and Office of Special Projects, said in a statement. During his almost 50 years involved with military aviation, Brown commanded units capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Brown retired from the Air Force as a major but went to work for defense contractors for at least 20 years as a simulator instructor training pilots to fly the A-10 and F-35. It’s the F-35 experience that got the most attention from investigators. He presumably would have been well-versed in the tactics and capabilities of the stealth fighter, which is intended to form the backbone of the fighter forces of 19 allied nations. The investigators allege Brown went to China in 2023 and spent time being interviewed about his U.S. experience before training pilots. “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.
Hanging this traitor is too kind for him in assisting our #1 adversary.
Sumtin Wong. How can he be 65 with 50 years military av experience being retired from active duty for 30 years? Was there also more than 102.000 hours of flight experience in his logbook with experience in no less than 4.375 different aircraft types?
65 – 30 = 35. To retire (unless medical) would mean he joined directly out of college at age 15. Apparently, even his parents didn’t want him around.
Even correcting for numerical errors, if this guy was training Chinese aircrew on our latest fielded technology, then death by a thousand cuts, with intermittent saltwater scrubs is appropriate.
Yeah, he would have retired a maj. at age 35. 65 years old, retired 30 years ago… 50 years of involvement in military aviation means he started at age 15. Must have been in high school Air Force ROTC.
Also, article states “he retired as a major” and “Brown commanded units capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” That’s doubtful…majors don’t command nuclear coded flying units. Furthermore, unless he was prior-enlisted, retiring as a major points to a problem somewhere. Like not doing ACSC…I should know!
I think they must be including the time he spent post-retirement as a sim-training instructor.
This is a quote from the ACTUAL DOJ compliant:
“Brown served for over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, leaving active duty in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his lengthy military career, Brown commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot”
Avbrief is incorrect as the complaint states 23 years, not almost 50.
Read it again, Dave. It says he was involved in military aviation for almost 50 years. After retiring from the Air Force he worked for defense contractors. I agree the math is sketchy, though. If he retired in 96 after 24 years, that means he joined up in 1972 and if he’s 65 that means he joined the Air Force when he was 11. One of those numbers is incorrect.
Don’t believe anything you read about this guy’s history or credentials. He is a POS con man of the highest order.
He didn’t retire, to my recollection. We threw him out of our National Guard unit after he refused to deploy when we were activated back in the early 2000’s. I believe he was unofficially blackballed with no chance of getting on with another unit. There is NOTHING honorable about this guy, and to my knowledge there never has been. I consider him my biggest failure in assessing someone in an interview. He had us completely snowed. Bad on us.
Karma has a way of catching up.
Well hey Junkman! Long time no see!
He apparently conned the chinese also but then they’ll take whatever they can get.