Senators want China to assist probe of counterfeit weapons parts

Senators want China to assist probe of counterfeit weapons parts

www.washingtontimes.com

China's government is refusing to assist Senate investigators probing Chinese firms that are selling counterfeit parts that have been found in high-tech U.S. weapons systems, the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday.

Committee Chairman Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, and Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, told reporters that a panel investigation revealed that U.S. defense contractors and government agencies traced the sources of most fake defense parts to Shenzhen, in Guangdong province near Hong Kong.

China has rejected requests for committee staff to visit Sh

(visit the link for the full news article)

It's not the fact that China refuses to cooperate in an investigation on counterfeit parts nor the fact that counterfeit parts have been traced to China that surprises me. To me, this is a given.

What surprises me and really burns my ___ is the fact that $94 Billion worth of parts for our military was purchased from China by the Pentagon.

A report by the Government Accountability Office published in March 2010 stated that the global supplier network used by the Pentagon provides 4 million parts worth $94 billion.

We are at the mercy of an administration that fails to bring jobs back to the American worker and a government that's hell-bent on seeing the United States fall.

“Counterfeit parts have the potential to cause a serious disruption to DoD supply chains, delay ongoing missions, and even affect the integrity of weapon systems,” the report said.

When I read this article, I could help but think about a job I had several years ago where the employer ordered some steel from China in order 'to save a few bucks' and when the machining was done and the parts were to be heat-treated, the steel didn't even harden. All the time that was involved in machining this part was nothing but a waste. All for the sake of "saving a few bucks" ended up costing the company twice as much as it would have if it had ordered American made steel.

This is far more serious than a piece of steel though. We're talking about putting our military personel in grave danger from these inferior parts.





www.washingtontimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

presidents, vice, senators and etc... they are all the same who bankrupts the country. XD

Originally posted by panglb
presidents, vice, senators and etc... they are all the same who bankrupts the country. XD

It's my assumption you didn't read the article in the link.

You have fasteners, microprocessors, electronic circuitry among other items that are counterfeit.

Counterfeit products don't have the documentation to back up the the quality they claim to possess. Do you really not know the implications of using inferior products on equipment that our troops trust with their lives?

What I'm reall saying is that why is China supplying us with military parts? The article states that a waiver may be granted if a need arises but still yet, there is a need for Americans to go to work.

Its all so effing hilarious. 4 million parts for 94 billion. All of the oceans in the world couldn't contain the hatred I harbor for our government and its sell-out duplicitous nature. These jack-offs have sold the country out from under us and we are supposed to understand and be cool. We can't express our anger if there is a hint of violence, but they are the biggest proponents of violence on the world stage. I'm choking on my own disgust. There is no way that these are real people. None of this can be real. SNL writers must have written this script.

Have to agree with you on this one. The government has lost any sort of balls they once had in regards to things like this. They should take China to task for this and threaten them with something unless they help correct the problem but I wouldn't expect to see that happen anytime soon.

reply to post by Intelearthling


Probably because that is where the parts are made.

The reason for "counterfeit parts" is probably the same as it is in aircraft - money and profit for the suppliers.

they can buy non certified parts cheap - because certification adds quite a cost - make false documents for them and then sell them at the higher price of certified parts.

It has nothing much to do with politicians at all really - more to do with quality assurance processes by hte purchaser.

I used to be a QA person receiving marts for aircraft maintenance & we had very stringent requirements - for example we simply did not deal with many non-original manufaturers at all - Cessna parts came from Cessna, Boeing parts came from Boeing, etc.

for the few non-original suppliers we had (for generic & obsolete a/c parts mainly) we used to go audit them, we got their local regulator audit reports & we always did quite extensive checks of markings, condition & occasionally performance of parts received.

I certainly rejected suspect unapproved parts on many occasions.

So it is not impossible to at least limit acceptance of bogus parts - but it requires a fair bit of dilligence on the part (sic) of the customer being bloody-minded about simply refusing to accept anything that is slightly dodgy.

Hey did anyone notice we are in a cold war with china? Cyber assaults,using the enemy's own weapon against him?
Say economy or outright sabotage?
It's classic Sun Tzu.
I think Russia just regrouped.

I wonder how many people have been killed because of those counterfeit parts.

yeah this burns me as well

for people who scream about the military industrial complex link them that article.

also link them the us airforce buying aircraft tech from france.

the main gun on the m1 abrahams was designed in germany

the smaw shoulder lauched rocket is made in europe.


the outsourcing of the american military has always been a problem i have touched on it a few times since i been on here but it falls on deaf ears.

risking the lives of the men and women of this countrys armed forces is tantamout to treason.

its inexcusable but with defense cutbacks you can see why were are where we are.


the defense industry design,manufacturing and testing is a multitrillion industry and that single industry could create thousands of jobs real jobs that dont go away and create tax revenue for this country.

us weapons with parts made in china and if we ever go to war with china my god.

Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul
reply to post by Intelearthling

 

The reason for "counterfeit parts" is probably the same as it is in aircraft - money and profit for the suppliers.

they can buy non certified parts cheap - because certification adds quite a cost - make false documents for them and then sell them at the higher price of certified parts.

This is the exact reason why critical parts, especially military parts should be made in the United States. Traceability and documentation tells everything about a part.

I worked for a company where everything, from when and where the steel was made to who inspected and wrote off the part was documented.

If a part failed, by the numbers on the part, it could be traced to who machined the part and what tools were used to machine it.

The paperwork was unimaginable.