MoD warns British ex-military pilots over Chinese army training schemes
Up to 30 former pilots are believed to have trained the China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Ministry of Defence has warned of recruitment schemes headhunting former British military pilots to train members of the Chinese army.
The BBC reports up to 30 former pilots are believed to have trained the China’s People’s Liberation Army.
The pilots are reported to have served across the British military and not just in the Royal Air Force. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued an intelligence alert warning pilots against taking part.
In a statement, MoD said it was attempting to stop the recruitment of both former and serving pilots.
“We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China,” a MoD spokesperson said.
“All 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 – including this one.”