At the request of the FBI, a retired USMC pilot was arrested in Australia for providing training to Chinese military personnel.
After it became known that many retired UK military fighter pilots had been training members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, efforts continue by Western bloc countries to stop and deter these activities, to cut off the transfer of tactical and doctrinal expertise from NATO to the Asian giant.
See also: Retired UK military pilots hired as instructors in China
Following this case, reports began to emerge that retired military pilots from several European countries had traveled to train Chinese pilots, attracted by the large monetary compensation offered.
This time it is a former U.S. military pilot and flight instructor who worked in China, who, for his activities, was arrested in Australia and faces extradition to the United States.
According to Reuters, the Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, on Friday in rural Orange, New South Wales, and he appeared in court the same day, according to court records and confirmed by two police sources and his lawyer.
His lawyer appeared by videoconference, and Mr. Duggan was denied bail and transferred to nearby Bathurst jail, according to two of the sources consulted.
Mr. Duggan is a former U.S. citizen and federal police were acting on a U.S. request for his arrest ahead of a formal extradition proceeding, one of the law enforcement sources said. Mr. Duggan’s next court appearance will be in Sydney in November to consider any bail application.
Details of the U.S. arrest warrant and the charges he faces are confidential.
Top Gun Tasmania
Mr. Duggan moved to Australia after a decade of service in the U.S. Armed Forces and started a company called Top Gun Tasmania, where former U.S. and British military pilots were hired to give tourists rides in jet aircraft. Mr. Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft at Australian air shows. The Top Gun Australia website says Mr. Duggan flew Harrier fighter jets in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and was an air combat instructor.
He moved to Beijing in 2014 and soon after sold Top Gun Tasmania, filings in Australia for the company show.
Duggan’s LinkedIn profile said he has been working in Qingdao, China, since 2017 as the managing director of AVIBIZ Limited, described as «a comprehensive aviation consultancy company with a focus on the fast growing and dynamic Chinese Aviation Industry».
Hong Kong company records show AVIBIZ Limited was registered there by Australian passport holder Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017 and dissolved in 2020.
Duggan could not be immediately reached for comment.
Under Australia’s extradition treaty with the United States, the U.S. government will have 60 days to make an extradition request. The treaty allows Australian citizens to be extradited.
