U.S. Intelligence Warns Former Fighter Pilots Against Training Chinese Military

[Social Media]

 

The United States is intensifying its efforts to prevent former "Top Gun" pilots from aiding the Chinese military, an initiative prompted by concerns over national security and legal implications. A stark warning was issued on Wednesday by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in collaboration with its "Five Eyes" intelligence allies—Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K. This bulletin highlights the ongoing efforts of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to recruit current and former Western fighter pilots, aiming to enhance their capabilities in aircraft carrier operations.

 

A key challenge for the PLA has been developing a fleet of aircraft carriers and training their pilots to proficiently take off and land on these short, floating runways. This skill is crucial for projecting military power across the world’s oceans. However, the Chinese military has struggled with this aspect for decades. To overcome these difficulties, Chinese military leaders have resorted to setting up a series of shell companies, primarily operating in South Africa, to covertly recruit and compensate American former F-18 jet pilots. These shell companies often disguise their ultimate affiliation with the Chinese military, making it difficult for recruits to realize who they are ultimately working for. This clandestine approach has allowed China to gain access to advanced training methods, violating U.S. export laws in the process.

 

Michael C. Casey, the director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, emphasized the gravity of the situation: “To overcome their shortcomings, China’s People’s Liberation Army has been aggressively recruiting Western military talent to train their aviators, using private firms around the globe that conceal their PLA ties and offer recruits exorbitant salaries.” This recruitment strategy has significantly bolstered the skills of Chinese fighter pilots and provided the PLA with valuable insights into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures.

 

The threat bulletin outlines that the PLA has previously used personal acquaintances from the military to reach out to potential recruits, offering lucrative contracts and the opportunity to fly exotic aircraft. These offers are designed to be highly enticing, often obscuring the fact that the Chinese military is the ultimate customer for their expertise. The bulletin explicitly warns that by agreeing to train Chinese pilots, Western recruits "put their military colleagues at risk" and "may face legal peril."

 

One notable case highlighted in the bulletin is that of Daniel Duggan, a former U.S. Marine fighter pilot who was arrested in Australia in 2022. Duggan is accused of violating export laws by training Chinese military pilots in South Africa on how to land on aircraft carriers. Duggan has denied the allegations, but on May 24, an Australian magistrate ruled that he can be extradited to the U.S. to face charges.

 

The intelligence agencies of the Five Eyes alliance are sounding the alarm to deter other Western fighter pilots from being seduced by the financial incentives and the thrill of flying fighter jets again. The bulletin stresses that the involvement in training Chinese military personnel could lead to severe legal consequences and endanger national security. "To overcome their shortcomings, China’s People’s Liberation Army has been aggressively recruiting Western military talent to train their aviators, using private firms around the globe that conceal their PLA ties and offer recruits exorbitant salaries," Casey reiterated.

 

This coordinated response underscores the seriousness of the issue and the need for international cooperation in countering such threats. By sharing intelligence and coordinating their actions, the Five Eyes countries aim to mitigate the risks posed by the transfer of military expertise to adversaries. The unified stance of the intelligence network highlights the critical nature of this challenge and the concerted efforts required to address it.

The broader implications of this situation are significant. The recruitment of Western pilots by the PLA allows China to gain insights into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures, which could significantly enhance their military capabilities. This poses a direct threat to the strategic advantage held by the U.S. and its allies. The unified stance of the Five Eyes intelligence network underscores the seriousness of this issue and the need for international cooperation in countering such threats. By sharing intelligence and coordinating responses, these countries aim to mitigate the risks posed by the transfer of military expertise to adversaries.

 

The crackdown on former "Top Gun" pilots training Chinese military personnel underscores a significant national security concern. The U.S. and its allies are taking steps to prevent further erosion of their military advantage by issuing warnings and pursuing legal actions against those involved. This development highlights the ongoing strategic competition between the U.S. and China, particularly in the realm of military capabilities and technological superiority.

 

As the U.S. continues to address these threats, it is clear that safeguarding national security requires vigilance and proactive measures. The efforts to deter former pilots from aiding the PLA reflect a broader strategy to maintain the integrity and superiority of Western military forces. The cooperation among the Five Eyes nations in this endeavor showcases a unified front against common adversaries and reinforces the importance of collective security in an increasingly complex global landscape.

 

By highlighting the risks and legal consequences associated with training Chinese pilots, the intelligence agencies hope to dissuade other Western military personnel from compromising their nation's security for financial gain. The message is clear: the safety and security of military colleagues and national interests must come before personal benefits. The coordinated efforts of the Five Eyes alliance demonstrate a commitment to upholding these principles and ensuring that Western military expertise remains protected from exploitation by adversarial forces.

 

Credit: Time 2024-06-07

 

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[Purdey]

Capitalism at it finest. 

[The Theory]

Hard to believe that ex TopGun pilots aiding Chinese.🤔 🙁😔

[thesetat2013]

6 hours ago, The Theory said:

Hard to believe that ex TopGun pilots aiding Chinese.🤔 🙁😔

It said they are doing it unknowingly through shell companies in other countries. 

[Gweiloman]

12 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

It said they are doing it unknowingly through shell companies in other countries. 

Wait. You mean these so called top guns don’t realise that their students are of a different race? Are they disguised as Winnie the Pooh or something?

[The Theory]

1 hour ago, Gweiloman said:

students are of a different race

Chinese get in the US as students then suck all the knowledge they need then go back home and use it against the US. 
Nothing new about it. Those top universities provide anything they need for their $$$. 
 

 

Edited June 8 by The Theory

[thesetat2013]

Wait, You mean to say that you did not know there were Asians in the US Air Force?

[John Drake]

Nobody cares anymore. 

[Gweiloman]

2 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Wait, You mean to say that you did not know there were Asians in the US Air Force?

Wait. You mean these retired top guns are teaching the PLA’s navy pilots who are in the US Air Force?

[Gweiloman]

5 hours ago, The Theory said:

Chinese get in the US as students then suck all the knowledge they need then go back home and use it against the US. 
Nothing new about it. Those top universities provide anything they need for their $$$. 
 

 

You mean to say that Chinese students enroll in US universities (paying a lot of money to the universities, I should add), study hard, learn what they paid to learn, then return back to China where they put to good use, what they paid a lot of money to learn. Sounds about right. Isn’t that what an education is all about? 
 

I hope at the very least that they learned how to punctuate their sentences. Otherwise, that would be a waste of their parents’ hard earned money.

[thesetat2013]

23 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

Wait. You mean these retired top guns are teaching the PLA’s navy pilots who are in the US Air Force?

No, i mean how to know the people they were training were doing it for the Chinese? Using shell companies means no direct ties to China. And if an Asian was being trained by the top Gun pilots it could have been from any Asian country. Only if someone actually told them they were training Chinese could they be sure. 

[Gweiloman]

4 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

No, i mean how to know the people they were training were doing it for the Chinese? Using shell companies means no direct ties to China. And if an Asian was being trained by the top Gun pilots it could have been from any Asian country. Only if someone actually told them they were training Chinese could they be sure. 

A top gun pilot who can’t tell the difference between a Chinese, Malay or Indian must be rare indeed. I can understand if he can’t tell the difference between a mainland Chinese or a Singapore Chinese (Tom Cotton couldn’t) but I don’t think that Singapore has any aircraft carriers, do they?