China fake parts 'used in US military equipment'

[alp227]

Source: BBC

Vast numbers of counterfeit Chinese electronic parts are being used in US military equipment, a key Senate committee has reported.

A year-long probe found 1,800 cases of fake parts in US military aircraft, the Senate Armed Services Committee found.

More than 70% of an estimated one million suspect parts were traced back to China, the report said.

It blamed weaknesses in the US supply chain, and China's failure to curb the counterfeit market.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18155293

[Angry Dragon]

1. Good thing we got rid of manufacturing in this country

[BadGimp]

5. well said :)

[BadGimp]

5. well said :)

[Blue_Tires]

15. Even if we manufactured 98 percent of those parts in the USA

The contractor would still happily buy from whatever shady country makes the other 2 percent...

[Angry Dragon]

16. All it would take would be for Congress to pass alaw

demanding ALL military parts are American made

[jmowreader]

29. Then we'll be back to Norden bombsights and other such relics

The problem is, almost nothing is made here anymore.

Know what really worries me? Dyestuffs--which are used to make military uniforms not-white. The reason we have a chemical industry in this country at all, is just before World War I all dyes came from Germany. When the Great War broke out, we had to go on a crash program to develop a dyestuffs industry in the US. If you thought the Manhattan Project showed what American science can do when it really needs to, think again: we had to build an entire industry from scratch in a very short period of time to keep the doughboys from having to fight in white uniforms. Thanks to that quarterwit Reagan and his idea that all industry should be exported, we now have no dyeworks in this country. It ALL comes from China. So, if we ever have to fight the Chinese, we're going to have to do another crash program to get back to where we once were. (This time it will be slightly different, though: we already know how to make the products, we just have to build huge chemical plants to make them.)

Back to where we were: because the semiconductor industry has left our shores and because modern weapons are full of semiconductors, if China ever decides to embargo the US we're fucked.

In fact, we're fucked anyway.

Can we dig up Ronnie's corpse and try it for providing aid and comfort to the enemy yet?

[Ash_F]

31. Oh no! How will the US be able to cope

...with being less effective at killing people.

[PavePusher]

34. Yeah, 'cause that's ALL we in the military do....

Thanks a fuckin' bunch.

[jmowreader]

35. Okay, look at it this way

When the Norden bombsight was what we had, you sent hundreds of bombers up against a target and stood a 50 percent chance of putting a bomb within 1000 feet of it. (Which is why 750-bomber raids were common in World War II.) The things you hit while you were trying to kill the target are called in military jargon "collateral damage" and in plain English "innocent human beings."

With today's laser-guided bombs, you can put one through the target's bathroom window.

[Taverner]

32. Beat me to it

[Populist_Prole]

2. Globalization wonks reaped what they sowed

I must also scoff at the latent crocodile tears all these right-wingers are shedding about Chinese materials and employees building US infrastructure: This from the same asshats that were cheerfully giving us enlightened thought about "creative destruction" and the wonders of moving the US from a manufacturing economy to a service economy.

Pffft!!!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

3. And is anyone going to be held accountable? Ever?

[cstanleytech]

4. No. nt

[Kablooie]

8. Of course. It's all Obama's fault.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. Leon Panetta is not at fault?

Former Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG) Gordon Heddell is not at fault?

Senator Carl Levin who chairs the Senate Committee on Armed Services is not at fault?

Senators Lieberman, Reed, Akaka, Nelson, Webb, McCaskill, Udall, Hagan, Begich, Manchin, Shaheen, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, McCain, Inhofe, Sessions, Chambliss, Wicker, Brown, Portman, Ayotte, Collins, Graham, Cornyn, and Vitter are not at fault?

Everyone gets a pass?

Thanks for your opinion.

[Kablooie]

21. Umm. That was sarcasm.

I forgot to add the sarcasm thingy.
It was an imaginary Republican response.

Of course there should be an investigation to find out why it is happening.
Once you know why these parts are slipping into the system you can look for whose decisions allowed it to happen.

Before the problem was identified I wouldn't think you could blame Obama.
I wouldn't expect him to know about this until someone reports it.
Once he knows about it he must share the responsibility of remedying it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

22. Since 1863 and earlier, those who have purchased supplies for the military have known that

unscrupulous contractors will sell inferior equipment and supplies to the military. In 1863, after unscrupulous contractors sold decrepit horses and mules in ill health, faulty rifles and ammunition, and rancid rations and provisions, to the Union Army, Congress passed the "Lincoln Law" or the False Claims Act. It is now codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733.

No one should blame just one person. The problem is the entire system.

Should President Obama be upset by this? At the present, the Administration is working on another Pacific "free-trade" agreement that will eliminate a clause in contracts by which good and services are purchased for the federal government, including the military. Under the "free-trade" agreement which they are working on, countries like the United States will agree to not give preferential treatment to domestic manufacturers and suppliers. Ever since FDR, governmental contracts have included "buy America first" provisions. This will eliminate that.

When it is signed, equipment in the field may be equipment that was made in China, or Viet Nam, or wherever.

If President Obama anticipates that he will not sign the "free-trade" agreement with such a provision, he could say so. He hasn't done that.

By way of analogy, if you hired a bank president and someone burglarized the bank by digging a tunnel into the bank, it would not make a lot of sense to say "You can't blame the bank president until somebody reported it to him." Actually, being vigilant is part of the job. It is, of course, not a legitimate excuse to say that someone else wants the bank president's job and that person cannot be trusted, is known to act contrary to bank customers, etc. It's just not an excuse. So the Republicans might criticize President Obama for this and other things? That doesn't matter. His Administration, and his appointees and their employees, should be on top of this. That's their job.

[Confusious]

7. Corporate traitors short selling our country

Their only loyalty is gold.

[Kablooie]

9. A few years ago they found the same thing in aircraft parts.

Many parts weren't anywhere near the required specs for commercial airliners.
I didnt hear what they did avout it though.

I wonder how many troops are dead as a result of faulty equipment?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

11. You care about how many troops are dead as a result of faulty equip? But your sarcasm above

indicates that you would not hold anyone accountable, or at least you would not hold President Obama accountable for any of this?

Your sarcasm indicates that you wouldn't hold the Sec of Defense accountable, the Inspector General, any of the Senators or House Members who are supposed to provide oversight, or others. Your sarcasm indicates that you would give them a pass. And why is that? You mention "Obama" as though the mere invocation of his name gives everyone immunity from even the slightest criticism.

I, too, wonder how many troops are dead as a result of faulty equipment. The difference between us is that I would at least seek to hold someone accountable.

[octothorpe]

27. It's probably difficult to pinpoint who to blame...

It's most likely not even a single person, but just a fucked up system and a bunch if stupid decisions made by many people over the years. Of course there should be some sort of "the buck stops here" thing, but even in that case, it's more of symbolic thing than anything. Probably have to hold hundreds of people accountable from decades back.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

30. Somewhat like Otter from Animal House:

Last edited Wed May 23, 2012, 08:44 AM - Edit history (1)

"But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!"

[BlueToTheBone]

12. Lowest bidder syndrome. n/t

[Marblehead]

13. chinese electronics

are junk, that has been my experience.

[hunter]

14. There are probably two kinds...

... first, "junk," such as relabeled seconds or poor quality counterfeit parts, and second, high quality parts containing hidden "sleeper" code and microcode.

The USA itself has a history of playing these kinds of games.

We reap what we sow.

[neohippie]

20. It's also a problem with consumer products

I have purchased software like Adobe CS5 and Cisco/Linksys networking equipment that turned out to be counterfeit and then couldn't get any support from the actual manufacturer, because the items were not covered by their support or warranty

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, alp.

[jonthebru]

18. This is nothing new.

Those who are "in control" are buffoons; somebody with ill intent could easily plant failure prone parts in vital military equipment.
Its a national security issue.

[AzDar]

19. Seems like an important National Goddamned Security issue to me.

(reported by the BBC, of course)

[tawadi]

23. Thought I read about this before

Guess maybe I expected as much.

[lovuian]

24. you get what you pay for in China

cheap labor and sabatoge
the US military is surprised at this

by Capitalism destroying manufacturing and sending it to China

one destroyed America
Capitalism won't have an army to defend them because of it
70% of parts....are defective
is China going to give us a refund

[Blue Owl]

25. The fakery runs deep

Right down to the hardware.

[octothorpe]

26. Brilliant!

[DeSwiss]

28. Related?

Air Force Pilots Blow The Whistle On F-22 Raptor's Mysterious, And Dangerous, Flaw

- K&R

[Odin2005]

33. Stories like this scare the shit out of me.

This is exactly why I don't believe in "Free trade". Anything manufactured in other countries could be rigged to help the other country and screw us.

And if the Free Trade shills want to call me a xenophobe for saying that I don't fucking care.