How much is that Body armor vest and Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) in the Window?
Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 05:20:39 PM PDT
Arf! Arf! Arf! OK, not exactly in the window, but go to Craig's List or e-bay, and you can buy enough stolen US military equipment to make your own F-14 or credibly pose as a US officer. Among the items for sale are F-14 components, Night vision goggles containing an image intensifier tube made to military specifications, Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and uniform accessories, Body armor vests and Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI), including advanced Enhanced SAPI (E-SAPI) plates, Kevlar helmets, flak jackets, gas masks, and military meals ready-to-eat (MRE).
crossposted from unbossed
It's not just that our tax dollars have paid for these items, but access to many of them endangers our security. And it's also the fecklessness of the military command that lets this stuff just walk out. This is not a hard report to understand, though it is to stomach. My favorite part of GAO's report was when they contacted the Army to tell them that GAO had bought MREs from an active-duty Army Private First Class stationed in South Korea who had stolen the military MREs from a warehouse and was selling them on eBay.
For a change, the Army didn't let this just go, as has been the case with the conduct of so many military contractors these days. Thank goodness, they got a search warrant and now the perp is doing three years.
But why not read what GAO itself says.
So here are some of the items found by GAO.
• Two F-14 components from separate buyers on eBay. F-14 components are in demand by Iran. Given that the United States has retired its fleet of F-14s, these components could only be used by the Iranian military. By making these components available to the general public, the eBay sellers provided an opportunity for these components to be purchased by an individual who could then transfer them to Iran. The continued ability of Iran to use its F-14s could put U.S. troops and allies at risk. We were unable to determine where the sellers obtained the F-14 components, and we found that ICE had an open investigation of one of the sellers.
• Night vision goggles containing an image intensifier tube made to military specifications (milspec) that is an important component in the U.S. military’s night-fighting system. Although night vision goggles are commercially available to the public, the milspec tube in the pair of goggles we purchased on eBay is a sensitive component that allows U.S. service members on the battlefield to identify friendly fighters wearing infrared (IR) tabs.
We also purchased IR tabs from a different Internet seller. These IR tabs work with the goggles we purchased, giving us access to night-fighting technology that could be used against U.S. troops on the battlefield.
• An Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and uniform accessories that could be used by a terrorist to pose as a U.S. service member. After a January 2007 incident in which Iraqi insurgents, dressed in U.S. military uniforms, entered a compound in Karbala and killed five U.S. service members, DOD issued a bulletin declaring that all ACUs should be released only "to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and their Guard or Reserve components." We purchased the ACU on eBay in April 2007, after DOD’s bulletin had been issued. The ACU we purchased also came with IR tabs, which could have allowed an enemy fighter to pose as a "friendly" during night combat. The seller represented to us that he obtained the ACU at a flea market near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This ACU appears to be stolen military property.
• Body armor vests and Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI), including advanced Enhanced SAPI (E-SAPI) plates that are currently used by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unauthorized individuals, companies, terrorist organizations, or other countries could use reverse engineering on this body armor to develop countermeasures, equivalent technology, or both.
Body armor could also be used domestically by a violent felon to commit crime. The body armor vests, SAPIs, and E-SAPIs, which we purchased from eBay and Craigslist sellers, appear to have been stolen from DOD.
OH!!! But wait!! There's so much more!!!
In addition to the above case studies, our investigators identified examples of U.S. government property that was likely stolen and sold for personal profit rather than being utilized by DOD (i.e., conversion of government property). According to DOD officials, U.S. military personnel are not authorized to sell certain items that have been issued to them, such as body armor; doing so is considered theft of government property.
Although not all of the stolen property items available on eBay and Craigslist were sensitive, each item was purchased with taxpayer money and represents a waste of resources because it was not used as intended.
For example, we found two civilian store owners who acted as conduits for defense-related property that was likely stolen from the military. The store owners told us they purchased gear from service members—including Kevlar helmets, flak jackets, gas masks, and ACUs—and sold it through eBay to the general public.
We also investigated sales of military meals, ready-to-eat (MRE) and found a robust market for stolen military MREs on eBay and Craigslist. Both civilians and service members sold us numerous cases of new/unused military MREs despite the fact that they were marked "U.S. Government Property, Commercial Resale Is Unlawful." Because the military MREs we bought had been originally purchased by the government for use by U.S. troops, we conclude that these MREs were stolen from DOD. For example, we found that an active duty Army Private First Class stationed in South Korea stole military MREs from a warehouse and sold them to us on eBay.
After our referral, Army CID executed a search warrant of the seller’s residence and discovered a substantial amount of stolen U.S. military property, as well as nearly $2,000 in cash. The seller was subsequently linked to a string of larcenies on the base and is currently serving over 3 years in prison.
Res ipsa loquitar.
Do you think CraigsLIst and ebay should start promoting themselves as a good place to fence sensitive military equipment? I'm envisioning the Yahoo! ad with dancing felons.
The report is
Internet Sales: Undercover Purchases on eBay and Craigslist Reveal a Market for Sensitive and Stolen U.S. Military Items GAO-08-644T, April 10, 2008
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