German Fighter Pilots Training Chinese

Der Spiegel asks: "What Are German Fighter Pilots Doing in China?"  

    According to reporting by DER SPIEGEL and the public broadcaster ZDF, there appears to be a handful of former German fighter pilots working as trainers in China. And they are apparently earning salaries that would normally be reserved for professional athletes or top executives of multinational corporations.

    German security officials believe it is very possible that the pilots have passed on military expertise and confidential operational tactics, and even practiced attack scenarios, such as an offensive against Taiwan. And all that at a time when tensions between China and the West have been growing. For months, there has been little communication between Washington and Beijing, and there is a constant danger of escalation – such as last Friday, when two warplanes flew dangerously close to each other over the South China Sea.

    In several recent sessions, the Parliamentary Oversight Panel in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, has addressed the "professional activity of public servants following the end of their employment." Members of the committee, whose task it is to monitor Germany’s intelligence agencies, are concerned that expert knowledge could fall into the wrong hands. And one of their focuses has been the former Bundeswehr pilots in China. The chair of the Oversight Panel, Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz, says that should the suspicions be confirmed, it would be an "outrageous, scandalous and problematic situation" representing "an enormous security risk."

    The case certainly fits in with Beijing’s standard approach, which security experts refer to as the "gray beard strategy." For years now, Chinese agencies have sought to embrace former decision-makers who possess privileged knowledge, some of it quite current. They offer lucrative consulting contracts, honors and invitations to conferences. Their goal is the harvesting of know-how, say experts, including information that has military value.

    When approached for comment, the German Defense Ministry confirmed "that China is attempting, via external agencies, to recruit former NATO pilots as trainers," including "former German Bundeswehr pilots." There is, the ministry statement continues, "a significant danger that not just basic flight proficiency will be imparted, but that relevant tactics, techniques and procedures will be manifested."

The article continues:

    Bundeswehr fighter pilots usually enter retirement at 41, an age at which reflexes tend to grow duller and vision worse. Those who begin flying for the German Air Force at the age of 20 receive half of their final monthly salary as a pension once they reach 41. Most former pilots find it insufficient and look for secondary employment.

    The training of pilots in China began just over 10 years ago, with a former Bundeswehr pilot declaring a position at the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, which trains Chinese pilots. Sources in Berlin say the pilot did not transgress any formal restrictions with the move and point out that China at the time was not seen as an authoritarian rival. Germany was also providing official training to Chinese officers at the time.

    The naivete of this approach became clearer than ever last fall, when Australia arrested the     American pilot Daniel Duggan. He stands accused of having trained Chinese pilots, just like his German counterparts – allegations which Duggan denies. He is currently behind bars and may be extradited to the United States.

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