In an egregious breach of national security, up to 30 former British Royal Air Force fighter pilots, as well as other branches, and ex-military pilots from Canada and Australia, have been lured to China to train the Communist Chinese (Chicoms)ย how to shoot down U.S. and allied pilots.
The price to betray your country and aid the enemy? Well, apparently it is ยฃ250,000 (pounds) a year, or $280,000.
The recruitment program by China'sย People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly began in 2019, dipped during the pandemic, then ramped up once COVID restrictions were lifted in China.
Accordingย to the Daily Mail:
The shocking recruitment programme will be confirmed today in a rare Ministry of Defence โthreat alert'. It comes as the UK redesignates China from โsystemic competitor' status to a โthreat' to British interests.
An official said last night: โServing and former advanced jet pilots are being openly head-hunted to train People's Liberation Army (PLA) pilots in China.
These fighter pilots are being used to help understand how Western jet fighters and pilots operate, key intelligence which would be vital in the event of any conflict with the U.S., U.K. and its allies, such as over Taiwan.
Former U.K. defense intelligence officer Philip Ingram said: โThis is a potentially massive counter-intelligence issue.โ
He added: โI think the pilots areโฆ misguided, greedy and naive and now a threat to national security.โ (RELATED: Air Force Bans Use of โMom and Dad')
The Chicomsย use a private flight training school in South Africa, Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) as an intermediary to avoid the British security services.
The Daily Mailย reportsย that:
The TFASA has made offers to RAF Typhoon, Jaguar and Tornado pilots to relocate to China and become PLA instructors, according to Western officials. UK military helicopter pilots have also been approached.
Pilots of Harrier Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) attack aircraft and helicopters have also been recruited. (RELATED: British Royal Air Force Pauses Job Offers to White Recruits, Prompting Senior Official's Resignation)
China is reportedly extremely keen to recruit current or recentย pilots of the U.K.'s advanced F-35 stealth fighters, which it shares with NATO allies,ย but The Mirrorย notedย that โAuthorities do not think anyone skilled in flying the F-35B has been recruited.โ
And while sources do not think any pilots working in China have breached the U.K.'s โOfficial Secrets Act,' one official said: โWe're taking measures to dissuade current and ex-pilots from being recruited.โ
Meanwhile, former and serving Brit pilots are being told not to disclose sensitive information, in an attempt to โmitigate risk' of theseย schemes. But in its โThreat Alert,' the Ministry of Defence also said: โWe are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes.โ
The BBCย reportedย a Ministry of Defense spokesman as saying:ย โAll serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements across Defence, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges โ including this one.โ
โThe National Security Billย will create tools to tackle contemporary security challenges โ including this one.โ
The Mirrorย quotedย Armed Forces Minister James Heappey as saying:
We have approached the people that are involved and been clear with them that it is our expectation that they would not continue to be part of that.
And we are going to put into law that once people have been given that warning, it will become an offence to then go forward and continue with that training.
He added: โDon't go and train foreign Air Forces without checking with the MOD whether they're a foreign Air Force they want to see you train. That would be a pretty good rule.โ
Heappey said the U.K. โmust change the lawโ to ensure pilots did not pass on intelligence to China in the future.
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, whoย is expected to designate China as a โthreatโ in an updated version of a defense and foreign policy review, promisedย โdecisive stepsโ to stop such headhuntingย and โprotect our national security.โ
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had earlier designated Communist China as a โsystemic competitor.โ
As Christopher Burgess, who served 30+ years within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and co-wrote the book โSecrets Stolen, Fortunes Lost, Preventing Intellectual Property Theft and Economic Espionage in the 21st Century,โย noted:
Perhaps it is time to remind those who have taken oaths of secrecy that the oath is a lifetime oath and not one which is bracketed by one's years of service. China will use every arrow in its offensive quiver to acquire knowledge of western strategy and tactics, the very ballsy overt recruitment of western pilots serves two purposes.
First, it accomplishes the strategic goal in a straightforward manner. Western pilots jump at pay packages which far exceed what beginning commercial pilots receive, even those with years of cockpit experience. The second reason is more subtle. But it is the equivalent of sticking a sharp stick in the eye of the west by highlighting that loyalty and the moral dilemma is just a large paycheck away.
ALD
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions ofย American Liberty News.
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8 Comments
Ex RAF teaching ChiComms to kill Americans?
Unless he is of Chinese descent, it should be easy to identify and take this Brit out.
China is already using the cartel to send Fentanyl across our borders!
I wonder if those pilots (or others) will train taliban forces to use the weapons SloJoe gifted them?
This is ridiculous. This action is clearly betrayal and treason; and, accessory to murder should a chicom trained by a UK pilot be killed. An arrest warrant should be issued for each of these turn-coat pilots, and they should be banned from the UK for life.
This is a bargain for the Chicomms, they paid much more for Jo and the other politicians now in their pocket. Any past or current U.S. official accepting foreign money directly or indirectly should get 20 to life.
There must be British laws against treason, hopefully, death. Round up those pilots and try them for treason. The CHI-COMS can use the training against Britain too.
Their names should be published, and they should be blacklisted for like