Lax oversight of weapons exports opens the door for adversaries to get their hands on lethal missiles, assault guns and components for larger weapons systems, sources say.
Homeland Security agents recently have uncovered plots to divert night-vision lenses to Iran, fighter-jet parts to China, grenade launchers to Colombian guerrillas, nuclear triggers to Pakistan, and more.
And despite internal warnings, government-sanctioned sales worth more than $10 billion a year continue spreading more weapons worldwide.
... Tens of thousands of arms deals aren't fully reviewed, nor are weapons inspected abroad as required under the U.S. Arms Control Export Act to prevent diversion or misuse.
When government officials do review arms deals, they find increasing problems - including diversions to at least one criminal and several hostile nations. Nearly one in five arms deals checked last year - 76 out of 413 - had such problems.
...Consider the case of Stinger shoulder-launched missiles - which the United States supplies to at least 17 countries, including Egypt, Israel, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Experts agree that if any U.S. weapon must be controlled, this is it.
... The Defense Department office responsible "does not know how many Stingers have been sold overseas," it said. "Records on the number and destination of Stingers sold overseas are incomplete, unreliable and largely in hard-copy form."
...A Defense Department spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Army has sent out 237 this year and is in the process of sending 249 more. He declined to say where.
...Today, more and more countries - from booming East Asia to the volatile Middle East - are seeking advanced items for their arsenals.
And the United States is by far the world's leading arms supplier, with annual industry sales topping $300 million and government sales topping $13 billion last year - a figure expected to reach $13.8 billion this year, government data show.
In Colorado, some 300 companies are registered to export military technology - mostly dual-use items that have commercial as well as military uses. The State Department lists 4,000 companies nationwide. Names are kept secret.
Homeland Security agents recently have uncovered plots to divert night-vision lenses to Iran, fighter-jet parts to China, grenade launchers to Colombian guerrillas, nuclear triggers to Pakistan, and more.
And despite internal warnings, government-sanctioned sales worth more than $10 billion a year continue spreading more weapons worldwide.
... Tens of thousands of arms deals aren't fully reviewed, nor are weapons inspected abroad as required under the U.S. Arms Control Export Act to prevent diversion or misuse.
When government officials do review arms deals, they find increasing problems - including diversions to at least one criminal and several hostile nations. Nearly one in five arms deals checked last year - 76 out of 413 - had such problems.
...Consider the case of Stinger shoulder-launched missiles - which the United States supplies to at least 17 countries, including Egypt, Israel, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Experts agree that if any U.S. weapon must be controlled, this is it.
... The Defense Department office responsible "does not know how many Stingers have been sold overseas," it said. "Records on the number and destination of Stingers sold overseas are incomplete, unreliable and largely in hard-copy form."
...A Defense Department spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Army has sent out 237 this year and is in the process of sending 249 more. He declined to say where.
...Today, more and more countries - from booming East Asia to the volatile Middle East - are seeking advanced items for their arsenals.
And the United States is by far the world's leading arms supplier, with annual industry sales topping $300 million and government sales topping $13 billion last year - a figure expected to reach $13.8 billion this year, government data show.
In Colorado, some 300 companies are registered to export military technology - mostly dual-use items that have commercial as well as military uses. The State Department lists 4,000 companies nationwide. Names are kept secret.
Business is good.
"You can't control technology," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Larry Farrell, president of the National Defense Industrial Association. "There are going to be weapons. There are going to be people who wish other people trouble."
..."You can't control technology," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Larry Farrell, president of the National Defense Industrial Association. "There are going to be weapons. There are going to be people who wish other people trouble."
..."You can't control technology," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Larry Farrell, president of the National Defense Industrial Association. "There are going to be weapons. There are going to be people who wish other people trouble."
Hey, let's get real. There's a demand for arms, and somebody's going to fill it. Right? Somebody's going to get the business, and the profit that goes with it. Why shouldn't it be American companies?
Senior Bush administration officials defended the status quo. U.S. small arms "have not been the weapons that end up in the hands of child soldiers," said Lincoln Bloomfield, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. And accelerated sales since Sept. 11, 2001, will help in the war on terrorism, he said. "Most of the major arms exports the U.S. does are to armed forces who are going to do things we want them to do."
Get off the drugs, Lincoln.
No comments:
Post a Comment