China Stealing US Former fighter pilots, bribing them to spy for China

Officials in Canberra announced on Tuesday that Australia had arrested a former U.S. Marine Corps jet pilot in response to a request from Washington, as Western governments raced to look into claims that China was stealing retired military personnel. According to court documents, Daniel Edmund Duggan showed up in court in New South Wales on Friday. According to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest, a person was detained on October 21, 2022, according to a statement from the Australian attorney general's office. It would not be acceptable to comment further because the subject is currently before the courts. In November, Duggan is expected to make another court appearance. According to Reuters, an aviation source, the FBI was looking for Duggan because he had worked in China. His attorney declined to comment, telling Reuters. The United States has 60 days from the time of Duggan's arrest under a treaty with Australia to request his extradition. Top Gun Australia, the nation's "top adventure flight company," was the name of Duggan's company. Duggan identified himself as a "former U.S. Marine Corps officer of over 12 years" on the company website. According to the website, he flew flights out of Kuwait and the USS Boxer in support of Operation Southern Watch. The website claims that he "flew harrier jump jets off of aircraft carriers tactically over the globe" as a highly skilled fighter pilot.               Three pilots told Reuters that Duggan had performed in Australian air displays on ex-military planes. Last week, Australia opened an investigation into rumors that China was using veteran Western air force pilots to train its military, which, according to the country's defense minister, was alarming. The British government announced last week that it was retaliating "decisively" against a Chinese campaign to recruit current and former British air force pilots to train its military forces. The "number one threat" to domestic and international security, according to London, is China. Although British military personnel often participate in training exercises with foreign forces, any cooperation by ex-pilots with China raises severe red flags. As he announced the indictments of 13 Chinese nationals who allegedly worked for Beijing's intelligence organizations on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused China of tampering with the American legal system.