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U.S. and Allies Warn Veteran Pilots: China Is Trying to Recruit You

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 19, 2016) Four U.S. F-35B Lightning II aircraft perform a flyover above the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during the Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept Demonstration. (U.S. Navy photo by Andy Wolfe/Released)
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Posted: June 6th, 2024

By Tom Nagorski

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief.  He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — The U.S. and its allies in the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing community – Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – warned Wednesday that China is engaged in a global campaign to recruit Western pilots to train its own aviators.

In a rare joint bulletin, the five nations said that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was using several global companies in the recruitment campaign, with the aim of helping Chinese pilots “overcome their shortcomings.” The bulletin warned that the PLA was tapping the “skills and expertise of these individuals” to improve its own air operations. 

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