Money Can Trump Patriotism

Why British military pilots will go work for China

There’s an uproar over the revelations that British pilots are now working for the Chinese military. Sky News reports that at least 30 former military pilots were recruited by China to train its pilots in how to counter western aircraft and tactics.

British officials, understandably, are upset. The Ministry of Defense issued a threat alert over the matter and officials say the training endangers western interests. "Wow… that is appalling. What were they thinking?" one retired Royal Air Force senior officer complained.

But the British are so far helpless in dissuading their former pilots from helping China. The rogue airmen aren’t breaking any laws and they’re making annual salaries of £240,000–a much higher figure than what their own government pays. Officials can only appeal to their airmen’s patriotism to dissuade them.. It appears to not be working.

This should not surprise us. Many westerners would probably trade patriotism for a nice paycheck, especially in Britain. The state arrests people who get too patriotic. British police came down far harder on patriots who defended national statues than those who tore them down. Publicly quoting Winston Churchill’s thoughts on Islam can be grounds for arrest. You can also be arrested for criticizing minority soccer players, immigrants, and Islamic terrorists. The NHS requires medical students to pledge fealty to Critical Race Theory. 

The country is in steep decline and bereft of its imperial glory. The UK can punish its own citizens over Facebook posts, but it can’t deport illegal immigrants. Brexit was supposed to restore British sovereignty and borders, but immigration–legal and illegal–has only increased. The U.K. tries to project strength against Russia, but its largest warship broke down shortly on a journey to the U.S.

The hypocrisy of the patriotic appeal was best highlighted by Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood. He argues these pilots should lose their citizenship for working with China. However, he opposed stripping ISIS militants of their citizenship just a few years ago. Guess jihadis are more patriotic than veterans. 

This isn’t a new situation or something peculiar to the British. American military officials will work for foreign governments, too. Retired four-star Marine general John Allen lobbied for Qatar while working as president of the Brookings Institution. (He had to resign from that plum job after his Qatar ties surfaced.) On the lower level, a number of veterans have reportedly worked for the cartels. 

The patriotic appeal is likely not going to work. If it’s not illegal, the pilots don’t really have a reason not to take these job offers. They may feel it’s  like going to work for another company rather than going to work for an enemy. It’s not like their own country can defend itself from illegal immigration. These pilots may feel patriotism is for suckers if it blocks their path to financial prosperity.

This is a troubling situation. Just imagine pilots from any western country going to work for the Soviets at the height of the Cold War. Of course, there were plenty of officials who sold out to the communists, but they were usually tried for treason. Most of those turncoats worked for the Soviets out of ideological conviction. The westerners going to work for the Chinese do so just to make money. There’s no great ideological commitment here. 

The West wants to wage a Cold War against China but it can’t stop its citizens from working with China. Many corporations show more loyalty to the CCP than the countries they’re based in. Now western soldiers follow that example. 

And it’s difficult for western countries to appeal to patriotism when they undermine the very concept. The UK and America have been telling their people for generations that their countries are merely ideas. You should only be proud of your country because it allows you to pursue material prosperity. Nothing more. This pitch draws immigrants to our shores, but it fails to create the kind of loyalty our governments desire. Why risk your life and deny yourself wealth on behalf of an abstract concept?

There will be more westerners following the precedent set by the pilot trainers. If western countries can’t offer its people anything more than a paycheck to believe in, then why wouldn’t they just go to someone who can pay them more? 

Real patriotism has to be fostered and reclaimed to keep westerners loyal. Governments can’t complain about the lack of loyalty of their people when these same governments want to replace their core populations. To combat China, westerners must have something to believe. What our governments are selling isn’t working.