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An RAF Typhoon receives fuel from a USAF KC-10 extender during a sortie in support of Operation Joint Task Force – Inherent Resolve on 22 March 2017. The British Ministry of Defence this week warned former pilots to beware of working for China.File photo by Taylor Woodward/USAF/UPI
October 18 (UPI) – Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the country “must amend” a law to prevent former officers from training Chinese pilots to fight.
Heappey’s comments follow reports that at least 30 former RAF pilots have been recruited by the Chinese military under a “very generous” employment package. Current law does not specifically prohibit retired military officers from providing training.
“We’ve reached out to the people involved and made it clear that we hope they won’t continue to be part of the group,” Heappey said. According to the Guardian“We’re going to have laws in place, and once people are warned, it will be illegal to continue the training.”
Britain first learned in 2019 that ex-military pilots had been recruited to train Chinese pilots, BBC reports.
Pilots are handled on a case-by-case basis, recruitment attempts slowed after outbreak began Coronavirus disease A Western official said the pandemic, but has since started to “increase significantly”.
Officials worry that China poses a threat to allies such as Britain and the United States. Britain issued an intelligence alert on Monday warning ex-military pilots not to work for the Chinese military.
“China is a competitor and it threatens UK interests in many parts of the world. It is also an important training partner, but their ability to try to gain our secrets and recruit our pilots to understand our Air Force’s capabilities is clearly our and the USAF’s concerns of the intelligence community. [Ministry of Defense]. ”
So far, there is no evidence that any British pilots have breached the Official Secrets Act by leaking military secrets. Officials said the warnings were meant to remind personnel of their obligation to protect sensitive military information.
According to BBC News, a MoD spokesman said: “We are taking decisive steps to stop China’s attempts to hunt down current and former British Armed Forces pilots in the People’s Republic of China to train People’s Liberation Army personnel.”
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