The West is Angry because China Recruits Former Military Personnel as Instructors

 The West is Angry because China Recruits Former Military Personnel as Instructors

Western intelligence "Five Eyes" warned its former military not to cooperate with the PLA. The offer is tempting.
6 June 2024 

The photo taken on Wednesday (30/4/2008) shows the Waihopai communication satellite belonging to New Zealand at its station in Bleinheim, New Zealand. This communication satellite is capable of intercepting or listening to civil and military communication traffic.

WASHINGTON, THURSDAY — The United States and member countries of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance are warning that China continues to seek ways to avoid the cessation of recruiting former Western pilots and military personnel. They are recruited by China to train Chinese military personnel. Although retired or no longer active, the West and the five members of Five Eyes hope that former military members will not disclose secrets of their equipment and combat strategies to China.

A new intelligence bulletin issued by "Five Eyes", Wednesday (5/6/2024), said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) used headhunters or South African and Chinese human resources recruitment companies to look for former military personnel to be hired as instructors. The prospective instructors they are targeting are former fighter pilots, flight engineers and air operations center personnel from Western countries.

"The PLA desires the skills and expertise of these individuals to enhance their air operations capacity, as well as gain insight into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures," wrote the "Five Eyes" in the bulletin. The intelligence alliance also stated that this recruitment posed a threat to the security of the US and its allied countries.

In a screenshot from a video broadcast by the United States Indo-Pacific Command on Thursday (29/12/2022), a Chinese J-11 fighter jet can be seen from the window of the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft. China repeatedly deployed fighter jets to shadow US and allied aircraft at close range.

The recruitment is conducted through direct email to individuals or through personal networks. Private companies with connections to PLA are also referred to as recruitment "agents". One way to attract former Western military personnel is the offer of welfare benefits that cannot be rivaled by "Five Eyes" countries and the promise of flying China's exotic aircraft and fighter jets.

"The 'Five Eyes' are urging the public to be cautious of such offers, which according to them often contain promises of high salaries or excessive flattery. They also hope that individuals, both civilian and military, will report any such efforts to the FBI or military investigators in their respective countries."

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This warning is not the first time "Five Eyes" has conveyed it to the public. The security alliance formed by five countries, namely the US, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Canada after World War II to counter the Soviet Union, has frequently issued warnings in recent years about the potential acquisition of information through various channels by China, including through information technology.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray, in the interview, stated that no other country presents a broader and more comprehensive threat to ideas, innovation, economic security, and national security than China.

“We've seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, to try to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data-- all over the country. "Everything from Fortune 100 companies, to small startups," he said.

The photo released by Xinhua News Agency shows the East Theater Command aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducting joint combat exercises around Taiwan Island on Sunday (8/7/2022). This exercise was a response and protest from China to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan some time ago.

He mentioned several fields that China is currently targeting, such as agriculture, biotechnology, healthcare, robotics, aviation, and academic research. Wray also stated that his agency is conducting an in-depth investigation on this matter.

“We probably have about 2,000 active investigations just related to the Chinese government's efforts to steal information,” he said.

Mike Burgess, the leader of the Australian government's intelligence agency, stated that China's various actions and techniques go far beyond traditional espionage. "Such a large-scale theft has never happened before in human history. And that is why we are calling for it," he said.

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The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the warning conveyed by "Five Eyes" in the bulletin. However, much earlier, the Chinese government through the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning denied the allegations made by Wray and his colleagues and called the intelligence alliance still using a cold war mentality as their justification.

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"We suggest that relevant countries abandon Cold War mentality and ideological biases, view China objectively and fairly, and stop slandering and blaming China," said Mao Ning.

Captivated

An official from the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the "Five Eyes" must issue the warning because China has taken a number of adaptive steps to evade such obstacles. Another US official also mentioned that many former Western fighter pilots are attracted to "share their knowledge" with Chinese pilots because they are promised huge rewards and opportunities to fly Chinese aircraft.

According to him, at least five former pilots from New Zealand, 30 British pilots, some former pilots from Germany, and a number of other Western pilots have fallen into the "embrace" of the PLA.

Saffrine Duggan, the wife of former United States Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, spoke in front of the Downing Central Court building in Sydney, Australia on Friday (24/5/2024). Daniel Duggan is charged with receiving money to train Chinese pilots, an act considered to violate United States laws regarding arms control, money laundering, and state secrets.

One of the cases that has emerged involves former US Marine Corps fighter jet pilot Daniel Duggan, who is now an Australian citizen. Duggan was arrested at his home in the state of New South Wales in 2022 and faces charges of providing training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012 without obtaining the appropriate permits. Specifically, prosecutors accuse Duggan of training Chinese military pilots in how to land on aircraft carriers through a South African flight school.

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The prosecutor stated that Duggan received approximately nine payments totaling around 61,000 US dollars and several international trips from sponsors. The prosecutor referred to the training as often described as personal development training.

Prosecutors said Duggan's actions fell under the category of money laundering and violations of gun control laws. Duggan denies the allegations.

The photo released by China's Xinhua news agency shows several fighter jets from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command conducting exercises around Taiwanese airspace on Sunday (8/7/2022).

Last year, the US Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on more than a dozen companies in China, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Britain, and the United Arab Emirates for their role in recruiting Western military talent for PLA flight training. One of them is the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, which is considered one of the largest companies that has hired former Western military pilots to train Chinese pilots. Despite the sanctions, they continue to carry out their activities.

The company has not responded to requests for comments or clarification. In a statement on its website last year, the company denied providing secret military training services. They stated that all training is based on open source materials or materials provided by clients.

The company stated that they operate with the approval of the government agencies of South Africa and do not employ US citizens. They also terminated their cooperation with a British citizen following a legal action in 2023. (Reuters)