AP: Iran gets army gear in Pentagon sale

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries — including Iran and China — who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department's surplus auctions. The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components.

In one case, federal investigators said, the contraband made it to Iran, a country President Bush branded part of an "axis of evil."

In that instance, a Pakistani arms broker convicted of exporting U.S. missile parts to Iran resumed business after his release from prison. He purchased Chinook helicopter engine parts for Iran from a U.S. company that had bought them in a Pentagon surplus sale. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, speaking on condition of anonymity, say those parts made it to Iran.

The surplus sales can operate like a supermarket for arms dealers.

"Right Item, Right Time, Right Place, Right Price, Every Time. Best Value Solutions for America's Warfighters," the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service says on its Web site, calling itself "the place to obtain original U.S. Government surplus property."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070116/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_surplus_stings

[GreenZoneLT]

1. I think this is really old, recycled news

Most of the stuff they sell is just junk that's available elsewhere from commercial vendors. All the weapons parts are supposed to be de-milled (rendered unusable as weapons). There have been some things that have slipped through the system because of corruption; I recall a story awhile back about Cobra helicopters that were supposed to be chopped into bits being sold intact.

It's not like Iran needs us to get weapons; there's so much Soviet-era stuff left over or being manufactured for peanuts that there's no reason to buy our expensive gear.

[acmavm]

2. Oh I don't know. This is the 'Anything for a Buck' administration.

Sorry Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.

[izzie]

3. I wonder of it was the group Baker and Bush are so big in.

You know the Group.From nothing to one of our big military arms sales groups. I understand Jeb is on need of money. Watch for him moving into this group.

[acmavm]

4. Nah, Jebbie is more into ripping people off in land deals and

property scams.

Wait a minute, there's a lot of land over there in their new conquered territory of Iraq. Jebbie just might show up over there one day as a bid-time developer.

[Cobalt-60]

5. He'll need one of these

[acmavm]

6. That cracked me up.

[Kelvin Mace]

18. They can't get F-14 parts from the Russians

The article makes clear that this stuff is NOT being "de-milled".

[happyslug]

21. Yes, but that does not mean you can NOT retrofit Russian equipment into an F-14

If the Iranians are still flying their F-14s, I fully expect most of the electronics would have been replaced years ago. What replaced it may NOT be the same as on the Navy's F-14s when Navy retied them a few years ago (last year I believe), but probably better then the electronics in the F-14s when purchased by the Shah (Look at how electronics have changed over the last 40 years to see what I am talking about). During the Iraq-Iran War, the F-14s were used as long range radar guidance for other Iranian planes (Recent reports was that the F-14s had been striped of their electronics to shoot missiles by American Technicians as those technicians left Iran just before the Hostage Crisis).

The big Question as to the F-14s is how much have the Iranians been able to update them? If the Iranians have been unable, the F-14s are just huge mobile targets. On the other hand if the F-14 have had a weapons upgrade (Via Russian electronics, remember the Mig-27 is also a variable wing jet, through much smaller than the F-14), then the F-14 would be a tough foe. Even the Engines could have been upgraded with Russian assistance. On the other hand the Russian might have just told the Iranians it would be cheaper to buy newer Russian equipment then to upgrade the F-14s and thus NOTHING was done to the F-14s. We can speculate all day long, the answer will be heard whenever the US attacks Iran and the Iranians uses or do not use their F-14s against us.

[Toucano]

20. Question.

If our parts are so expensive and useless and could be obtained more easily from commercial vendors, why would ANYONE buy them?

Why are there auctions at all, if no one wants this stuff?

It occurs to me that:

1. Someone is buying this stuff.
2. Someone is selling this stuff.
3. Someone is making money.

If the Soviet stuff were cheaper, Iran and China wouldn't have bought these.
If the regular vendors offered the stuff cheaper, Iran and China wouldn't have bought these.
If the stuff is of no military value, Iran and China wouldn't have bought these.

So I guess I have to conclude that what you say may be true about many items or even most items, but it can't be true of everything. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any sales. No?

[baldguy]

7. AP: Iran gets army gear in Pentagon sale

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries — including Iran and China — who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department's surplus auctions. The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components.

In one case, federal investigators said, the contraband made it to Iran, a country
President Bush branded part of an "axis of evil."

In that instance, a Pakistani arms broker convicted of exporting U.S. missile parts to Iran resumed business after his release from prison. He purchased Chinook helicopter engine parts for Iran from a U.S. company that had bought them in a
Pentagon surplus sale. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, speaking on condition of anonymity, say those parts made it to Iran.

....

Federal investigators are increasingly anxious that Iran is within easy reach of a top priority on its shopping list: parts for the precious fleet of F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jets the United States let Iran buy in the 1970s when it was an ally.

more
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070116/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_surplus_stings

Got to build up that Iranian threat.

[underpants]

8. Hey business is business

and business is good

[luckyleftyme2]

9. I WONDER HOW MANY POTENTIAL ELECTED ARE INVOLVED

I WONDER HOW MANY PALMS WERE GREASED!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. "Killing Is Our Business and Business Is Good"

That's the motto of the US government.

[leveymg]

10. This reminds me of Saddam's buried Migs

Remember when this was dredged up as proof of Iraqi WMDs?

[rocktivity]

12. Fighter jets as WMDs: easy to dig up, fuel up and deploy

within 45 minutes.

Of course, seeing how Bush is spoiling for a fight with Iran, it's entirely possible that the "defense security flaws" were our own agents setting up those sales!

:eyes:
rocknation

[leveymg]

14. I don't think that Mig would make it very far

with no wings and lots of sand in the cockpit, engines, and swivel points for the ailerons, elevators and rudder.

Would YOU like to take that Foxbat up for its first post-disinternment test-flight? How about trying to penetrate CAPS in an F-14 with twenty-five year old Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)?

Either way, a very short one-way ride.

I really wish someone in the mainstream media would point out this obvious stuff.

[unpossibles]

11. hey, it's a free market, right?

I mean, that solves everything, doesn't it?

[jaksavage]

16. Sure

That's why we don't need subsidies and market manipulation or to use our army, to contine to drive our hummers and live in huge houses and do what ever we damn well please.

[Supersedeas]

17. It's a win/win for Defense contractors

[Aviation Pro]

13. CNN: Iran, China exploit U.S. military surplus supermarket

Ah, yes, more incompetence from the cronies. Another impeachable offense say I.

Full story here: http://cnn.usnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Iran%

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries -- including Iran and China -- who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department's surplus auctions.

The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components.

In one case, federal investigators said, the contraband made it to Iran, a country President Bush branded part of an "axis of evil."

[lovuian]

19. Our money and dangerous countries and we give them

weapons to fight us