Chinese military train pilots
Reuters (Dec. 12, 2022) quoted a New Zealand Defense Force spokesman as saying in October that the military spoke to former New Zealand servicemen who may have helped the Chinese military train pilots, including through employment at an aviation school in South Africa, to remind them of their responsibility to safeguard national security. One of the servicemen was still in possession of a confidential work permit issued by the New Zealand Defense Force.
Defense officials said in October that dozens of retired British pilots had been hired by China to train Chinese troops on how to defeat Britain and its allies. British officials say the national security law will be amended to stop third-party agencies from recruiting veteran pilots to work in China.
Retired pilots from other Western countries have also been recruited by China to train the Chinese military.
The Test Flying Academy of South Africa said at the time that it had a firm belief that its conduct and that of its employees did not contravene any British law.”
The discovery attracted great attention from several allies.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said last month that intelligence agencies and the Australian Federal Police were "investigating a number of cases" in Australia and announced a review of the policies and procedures of Australian Defense Force personnel.
"For those who hold our state secrets by serving in the Australian Defense Force, or in any other part of the Commonwealth, they have an enduring obligation to keep those secrets," he said.”
Australian authorities also arrested citizen Daniel Edmund Duggan. Dugan was a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot and worked as an aviation consultant and flight instructor in China. He could face undisclosed charges of extradition to the United States.
The New Zealand government also said at the time that four former New Zealand defense personnel had worked for the South African Test Flight Academy.
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