What a fascinating case! Former US fighter pilot becomes an Australian citizen. Then trains pilots in Australia and overseas.
Is he training pilots in military flying? Or just civilian flying? Is he breaking any laws? Who bloody knows?

Reading more about his case:

The 2017 indictment said "Duggan provided military training to PRC (People's Republic of China) pilots" through a South African flight school on three occasions in 2010 and 2012.

He's denying this. Though the fact that he lived in Beijing for eight years looks pretty sus. He claims he's just teaching civilian flying.

His defence lawyer is claiming that ASIO gave him a security clearance to acquire an aviation license in 2022 while he was still in China, enticing him to return to Australia. That clearance was revoked a few days after he arrived and suddenly he's facing extradition to the USA. The defence is saying they lured him to Australia only to extradite him. And to be frank, that holds water. Though, I could probably also be convinced that US officials were monitoring his movement and started proceedings once he entered a country they had an extradition treaty with.

Dude has been in solitary confinement in Lithgow for over three years so far. That's frankly pretty damn harsh all on its own for the accusation of 'three cases of military training'. Three years in solitary for a person who hasn't even got a guilty verdict? Are the yanks saying that you go to prison for a year per military flying lesson? Are they going to recognise time served if they find him guilty? Are both government going to compensate him for what this has all cost him and his family if he's found innocent? They have frozen the family home half-built. It can't be sold or lived in. The family have racked up half a million dollars defending the case so far.

I have trust issues around releasing an Australian citizen to the mercies of the present US administration/military. I am unconvinced he'll face a fair trial.

[–] zero_gravitas@aussie.zone 0 points 1 week ago

Are they going to recognise time served if they find him guilty?

The article says: "If found guilty, he could face up to 65 years in a US prison." So the three years time served may be small change.

[–] eureka@aussie.zone 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Dude has been in solitary confinement in Lithgow for over three years so far. That’s frankly pretty damn harsh all on its own for the accusation of ‘three cases of military training’.

I thought the max security prison was a bit extreme - their alleged crime is obviously serious to the state, but hardly one that requires high security or solitary.

[–] Nath@aussie.zone 0 points 1 week ago

Really? Giving lessons on taking off/landing on short runways - lessons that could be applied to air operations on an aircraft carrier, constutute state secrets? He hasn't denied teaching pilots this stuff, though he claims he never knowingly taught Chinese airforce pilots. He also taught tight formation aerial exhibition flying, which again could have military applications.

From what I can tell, that's the main thing he's accused of. There's been no accusations of weapons or combat training, actually landing on aircraft carriers etc. As I read it all, I thought "that's it?" He's also accused of sending money abroad in some sort of laundering thing, but I can't see how the US military would care about that enough to extradite him.

They might have more charges once he's in US hands, but from what I've seen in the indictment documents, people could probably learn that stuff in Australia.