Posted on 07/22/2006 2:13:50 AM PDT by canuck_conservative
Undercover U.S. government investigators purchased sensitive surplus military equipment such as launcher mounts for shoulder-fired missiles and guided-missile radar test sets from a Defence Department contractor.
Much of the equipment could be useful to terrorists, said a report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
In June, two GAO investigators spent $1.1 million on such equipment at two excess property warehouses. Their purchases included several types of body armour inserts used by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, an all-band antenna used to track aircraft and a digital signal converter used in naval surveillance.
"The body armour could be used by terrorists or other criminal activity," noted the report, obtained Friday.
"Many of the other military items have weapons applications that would also be useful to terrorists."
Thousands of items that should have been destroyed were sold to the public, the report said. Much of the equipment was sold for pennies on the dollar.
The list included circuit cards used in computerized navy systems, a cesium technology timing unit with global positioning capabilities and 12 digital microcircuits used in F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.
At least 2,669 sensitive military items were sold to 79 buyers in 216 sales transactions from November 2005 to June 2006.
"DOD has not enforced security controls for preventing sensitive excess military equipment from release to the public," the report concluded.
"GAO was able to purchase these items because controls broke down at virtually every step in the excess property turn-in and disposal process."
A Pentagon spokesman, Cmdr. Greg Hicks, said Friday night he had not seen the GAO report and had no immediate comment.
U.S. Representative Christopher Shays, chairman of the House of Representatives government reform committee's national security panel, will hold a hearing on the matter Tuesday. Earlier GAO reports also found lax security controls over sensitive excess military equipment.
"During previous hearings we learned DOD was a bargain basement for would-be terrorists due to lax security screening of excess military equipment," Shays said in a statement Friday.
"Based on GAO's most recent undercover investigation it looks like the store is still open."
We are committing hari-cari. Someone is asleep at the wheel. Jeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssh.
This article is a little confusing. Is it saying these purchases were made illegally or were the items sold by mistake?
This whineing is one of main reasons we can not buy good surplus on the open markets instead thousand of tons of it are destoryed every year.
Just Like the days they dumped good jeeps,trks and crates of fire arms over board instead of selling them to the public. Or cut up trks and jeeps for scrap instead of selling them whole because some one might sue after using one.
The way I read it, it was "excess" equipment that was (legally) sold off to the public, but that could still have military-sensitive abilities - so, concern about terrorists getting it.
Yeah, but look at some of the stuff they could get their hands on:
-- an all-band antenna used to track aircraft (Now all they need is the radar to use it with.)
-- microcircuits for an F-14 Tomcat (A printed circuit board, a couple of engines, wings, and armament is all that it will take for them to complete their own do-it-yourself F-14.)
Two things are probably true here: There was some stuff sold that may be of some value to terrorists. BUT This article is hyping some of these items way beyond any real potential threat.
Dr.MO
And the know how to use it.....
Which forces one to buy inferior copies made in China, South Korea, etc.
Maybe what the problem is the list is way way way out of date. Hyperventaliating about parts for the Tomcat, a plane the USA no longer uses or makes is absurd. Shays is a big gutless RINO. This is his way of postruing as "tough on National Security" while bad mouthing the War on Terrorists. Shays is one Congressional Seat the Republicans could stand to lose.
Gee, give ME 1.1 million to spend and see what I come up with!
I want a Flux Capacitor!
I don't see anything there that is especially sensitive. And I don't understand the criticism of the selling it for low prices when the alternative they suggest is to destroy it and dump it in the landfill.
We're in a war against terrorists.
It's post Sept 11th!
The DOD has a Sept 10th mentality!
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