By Jyoti Jha
An Ex-Marine, Daniel Duggan, had served as a Harrier jet pilot for the United States. He is now facing legal problems on the grounds that he was teaching Chinese pilots how to land planes on aircraft carriers.
He is also being charged with money laundering and conspiracy to export US defense services. Duggan is 54 years old. He is currently being held in a maximum-security prison in Australia since October 2022. His lawyers have been contesting an extradition order issued by Australia’s attorney general.
His legal team wants a stay of extradition. They are requesting an investigation into the steps taken by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). They hold that Daniel Duggan was “lured” from China to Australia just so that the US government could legally arrest him.
This issue is stirring things up at a time when the US and its allies are concerned about China’s activities in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing is strengthening military installations on islands. The nations seem to be having fears of potential conflicts in the future.
Saffrine, Daniel’s wife, and their six children are all hoping and fighting for his release. They are urging Australian officials to prevent his extradition. Duggan moved to Australia in 2002 after retiring as a Major from the US Marines. He became an Australian citizen in 2012 and later moved to China with his family. However, his security clearance was revoked shortly after returning to Australia in 2022, leading to his arrest.
The charges against Duggan came somewhere in the period of November 2009 and November 2012. He was accused of training Chinese military pilots during that time. There were claims that Duggan conspired with the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) to export defense services.
According to Duggan, the training he provided to Chinese pilots did not involve disclosing any secret or proprietary information. He maintains that the training was for civilian plane enthusiasts or prospective members of China’s aviation industry.
The case has prompted the UK and Australia to tighten laws for such individuals who train foreign forces. The issue has raised concerns about the transfer of military training and tactics to countries that could potentially use them against their former allies.
As the legal proceedings continue, the case has attracted attention and concern from various nations.
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