Marine aviator arrested in Aus for allegedly training Chinese mil pilots
It seems a former US Marine Corps Harrier jump jet driver is in some hot water. He’s been arrested by Australian authorities in Canberra on the request of American authorities. It seems he’s being accused of using his American military training to help the Chinese. Uh oh.
Australia has arrested a former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot following a request from Washington, officials in Canberra said Tuesday, as Western governments scrambled to investigate reports that China has been poaching retired military personnel.
Daniel Edmund Duggan appeared in court in New South Wales on Friday, judicial records show.
“An individual was arrested on 21 October 2022 pursuant to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest,” the Australian attorney general’s department said in a statement. “As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
Duggan is scheduled to appear in court again in November.
An aviation source told Reuters that the FBI sought Duggan because he had worked in China. His lawyer told Reuters he could not comment.
Under a treaty with Australia, the United States has 60 days following the arrest to apply for Duggan’s extradition.
Duggan ran a business called Top Gun Australia, which billed itself as the country’s “premier adventure flight company.”
On the company’s web page, Duggan described himself as a “former U.S. Marine Corps officer of over 12 years.” He flew missions in support of Operation Southern Watch from Kuwait and the USS Boxer, the website says.
“As a highly trained fighter pilot, he flew harrier jump jets off of aircraft carriers tactically around the globe,” the website says.
Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft in Australian air shows, three pilots told Reuters.
Australia launched an investigation last week into what its defense minister called disturbing reports that China has been hiring retired Western air force pilots to train its military.
They need to put that dude on ice, man.
I can’t tell if that’s a clever Top Gun reference… But I like it.
I couldn’t find a noose or hangman emoji in your selection. Please correct that omission.
I don’t get it. Pefo Joe, Hunter, the Clintons all made fortunes “helping” the Chinese. Leadership by example.
He did not allocate 10% to The Big Guy.
He did, but Sleepy Joe doesn’t take crayons.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA😂
As a retired Master Sergeant of Marines, I am offended by your comment about crayons. If crayons had been involved in the remuneration, no self-respecting Marine would be sharing them.
‘”As a highly trained fighter pilot, he flew harrier jump jets off of aircraft carriers tactically around the globe,” the website says.’
Bullshit. This turd was never a “highly trained fighter pilot”. He was an AV-8B Harrier attack pilot. There’s a huge difference between the two.
I’m pretty sure that I ran into this shitbird a few times back in the day, and I hope that they burn his stupid ass.
Never saw anyone’s training described as anything but “highly”. Are there moderately trained fighter pilots?
Hack: the point of my post is that this turd was never a “fighter pilot”; he was an AV-8B Harrier attack pilot. Their mission is to drop bombs in support of Marine infantry.
Harrier pilots are not fighter pilots, although they’ll try to tell you that they are if they think that they can get away with it…
Couldn’t the Harrier II be outfitted with Sidewinders or AMRAAMs?
For self-defense, maybe. Hell, the A-7 had fuselage mounted rails for Sidewinder missiles but it was still a flying brick.
Yes, but the capability of the aircraft to carry those weapons doesn’t mean that Harrier pilots are “fighter” pilots. Their primary mission is to drop bombs in support of Marines on the ground, and they would only be tasked to perform in an air-to-air role in a contingency/emergency.
Marine F/A-18 pilots are the Marine Corps “fighter” pilots.
USAF A-10s can carry AIM-9s; does that make an A-10 pilot a “fighter” pilot?
Please stop arguing with me about this, guys.
This shitbird was not a “fighter” pilot.
So he was a “highly trained emergency fighter pilot”? That sounds even more devastating.
Although I’m not sure how useful this will be to the Chinese unless they plan on attacking Taiwan before 2025. Which would actually make sense because once mud head is out it makes their climb harder.
This turd falsely claimed to be a “highly trained fighter pilot” on a website.
That’s no different than falsely claiming to be a SEAL, Ranger, etc. in the Wild Wide World of POSerdom.
By all means correct me if I am wrong but I believe the Navy issues the same Aviator Wings for all pilots unless they are astronauts.
SEALs and Rangers and Special Forces all get their own badges. It seems more like an 18E trying to claim to be an 18B to me. Still lying of course but not really the same thing as a mechanic claiming 18B.
I’m more curious about the 12 and out. Sounds dirt baggy to me to get out after 12 years suddenly and forego millions in retired officer pay.
The issue here is not about the Naval Aviator Wings of Gold. Yes, every Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviator wears the same Wings of Gold, regardless of the type/model/series of aircraft that they fly.
The issue being discussed here is that a Marine non-fighter pilot falsely claimed to be a Marine fighter pilot on a website.
That is a huge POSer foul in Naval Aviation.
Should a Marine KC-130 pilot be able to go around claiming that he’s a “fighter” pilot just because he wears the same wings as a Marine F/A-18 pilot? It doesn’t work like that in Naval Aviation.
Not every Naval Aviator is a “fighter” pilot.
So, ‘fighter pilot adjacent’ then?
I’m sorry, but your explanation isn’t making sense.
1)He flew.
B)He flies.
3)He done flew.
Is it the different helmets that makes this fighter pilot NOT a fighter pilot?
A secret handshake or something…?
Please elaborate, add an interpretive dance routine as necessary to punctuate your theories.
Fighter pilots pilot fighters. He piloted ground attack aircraft, so if we’re into making distinctions, he’s an attack pilot.
AV-8B Harriers might have jet engines and pointy noses and carry Sidewinders occasionally, but that doesn’t make them fighters.
If having the ability to fire air-to-air missiles makes an aircraft a fighter, then I guess piloting AH-1 Cobra helicopters would make somebody a fighter pilot.
Ah, I got it. He fights/fought the ground!
So, if a fighter fights in the air, an attacker attacks the ground… then who’s on first and is the plaque for the alternates stowed according to SOP?
All your aviation-speak is working me up a thirst!
Harriers shot down Mirages at a rate of 20:1 during the Falklands and the Mirage is a fighter.
Dang it! Just when we had it fingered out, more facts pop in to say ‘howdy’!
So some attackers are bester fighters than fighters, but them still attackers.
I still think the Air Force is always and forever confusing as fcuk.
Quite a few gunners on B-17’s and B-24’s shot down FW-190’s and Bf-109’s (which are fighters); that doesn’t make a B-17 a fighter aircraft.
Besides, he wasn’t flying for the Royal Navy where Harriers are used for ship’s defense, he was flying for the United States Goddam Marine Corps, where Harriers are for making holes in the ground and killing troops. I guess he should call himself an Infantryman, then.
Okay, bring the hate.
Naw, hoss. If he didn’t hock that Hairy-er for coke, booze, hookers and a Camaro, he ain’t Infuntree.
That sombich be a zoomie
Who’s to say he didn’t?
Toupee, sir. Toupee indeed.
The Brit Sea Harrier which is the version you are referring to did serve as a fleet defense fighter during the Falklands War. However, it and the Marine Corps version bear only a passing resemblance and the current AV-8B variant is only used as a ground attack aircraft. There was some testing performed by the Marine Corps and Navy on using the first-generation AV-8A Harrier as a fighter putting it up against the F-4, but it never really went beyond that.
A mortarman drops indirect fire on enemy troops, does that make him an artilleryman?
Naw, just a waste of field rats.
Wow…ain’t nobody got any love for the Charlies! 🤣
So, you are saying the ChiComs didn’t get what they paid for. 😉
Not disputing the “fighter pilot” rebuttal, but the media always describes people affiliated with the military as “highly decorated”, or in this case “highly trained”. Just make sure that when Hack Stone is finally arrested in the disappearance of Elaine Ricci, the mainstream media describes him as a “modestly decorated Marine Corps veteran”, unless being the recipient of the highly regarded and rarely awarded Precious Metals Recovery Expert Badge makes him highly decorated.
Only if you were in Cambodia on Christmas Eve when you earned it.
Hack Stone,
1LT George Bush fits the category “moderately trained”.
Son of a US Congressman / US Ambassador (to the UN),
little George got the perks.
Did you know, he was a high school and college
male cheerleader?
Tell that to the Argentinian fighters shot down by Harriers in the Falklands war.
Speaking of Chinese hijinks, today’s episode of “Mainstream Media Covers For Biden Corruption” involves Hunter Biden and his “secretary” who just happened to be a Chinese operative.
https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/hunter-bidens-chinese-secretary-who-urged-joe-to-run-is-new-gop-focus/amp/
Screwing your secretary who is also a spy for a foreign country is classic America. Giving her a doggie chain to wear to show her love is how a pimp rolls. Hunter is merely a pimp and an highly successful artist in the classic mold of America.
She is easy on the eyes. Do you suppose that she was in the same espionage class as Fang Fang?
I’ve never had the Asian Fever. But on a hotness scale with Yoko Ono being say a “1” and Tang Wei being say a dime, Fang Fang was easily a 9 and JiaQi Bao more like a solid 7.
Seems a chinese spy / assistant is becoming standard issue for a dem..
Did the FBI just decide not pursue the Pakistani IT guy who worked for the Democrats? Never heard shit about that since he relocated to his home country.
The FBI found these allegations against a Democratic operative to be baseless. They are remarkably consistent about these things.
Didn’t this used to be called treason? Wasn’t it covered in that section about “…giving aid and comfort to the enemy…”?
Dumbass shoulda done it like the accepted way…run for and get “elected” to political office.
“Do not fight, China is your friend”
Maybe, he taught them right before you push the rocket fire thingie, they push the eject button. If I am wrong, I owe a Pork Patty MRE.
Honest question from a career enlisted…
Is taking a job training Chinese pilots in violation of any officer stuff? I’ve had plenty of the UCMJ read at me, but I’ve never been read all of it.
We’re not actively at war with PRC (arguably allied with them), so I can’t picture it as treason.
Likely he violated several NDAs.
Asking for a friend. Does this mean we have to reevaluate our opinion of the Flying Tigers? After all, we were not yet involved in the Second Sino-Japanese War and all those former U.S. military pilots were just independent contractors looking for work in China.