As per reports, the German Defence Ministry has voiced its concerns regarding retired air force pilots allegedly sharing their distinctive expertise with China. The ministry has raised apprehensions that these pilots, enticed by private training contracts, may be divulging sensitive skills to the Chinese authorities. Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on this matter.

According to reports, China and Germany have previously engaged in official military training programs, which involve the sharing of technical and tactical expertise between military organizations. However, the recent focus is on the examination of norms, particularly regarding retired military personnel sharing their specialized skills with the commercial sector, especially in relation to China.

This scrutiny follows a recent report by Spiegel and the public broadcaster ZDF, as cited by DW, which revealed that a "handful" of retired German air force pilots have allegedly relocated to China under highly lucrative private training contracts. DW, known as Germany's international broadcaster providing news and information, highlighted these developments.

According to reports, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was attending a high-level defence summit in Singapore when news of retired air force pilots sharing their skills with China broke. Pistorius reportedly conveyed his expectation to his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, that this practice should cease immediately.

Although there are no inherent legal violations in the pilots' work, the report points out that the German government faces challenges due to a legal grey area, leaving it with limited authority to halt this form of knowledge transfer.

However, as per a representative from the German defence ministry, former military personnel and government employees are generally allowed to utilize their skills, unless they engage in clear cases of disclosing state secrets. The statement emphasized that these individuals are subject to "retroactive service obligations," requiring them to disclose their current employment and maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information they acquired. The ministry conducts a "conflict of interest check" and reserves the right to reject applications if any conflicts are discovered.

While the ministry has expressed concern over the instruction of Chinese pilots in fundamental flying techniques and NATO operational strategies, it remains uncertain whether such activities would violate the confidentiality agreement. The report raises questions about potential conflicts and the interpretation of the agreement in this context.

According to Tzu-Yun Su, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR) in Taiwan, collaborating with retired Western pilots provides the People's Liberation Army (PLA) an opportunity to enhance their military doctrine by potentially acquiring classified information from Western countries' military exercises. This practice, in essence, could be seen as an act of obtaining Western countries' military secrets, as Su stated in an interview with DW.

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