Iran Buys Surplus U.S. Military Hardware

Investigation Finds Military Auctions Are "Supermarket For Arms Dealers"

(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."

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."

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.

In one case, convicted middlemen for Iran bought Tomcat parts from the Defense Department's surplus division. Customs agents confiscated them and returned them to the Pentagon, which sold them again — customs evidence tags still attached — to another buyer, a suspected broker for Iran.

That incident appalled even an expert on weaknesses in Pentagon surplus security controls.

"That would be evidence of a significant breakdown, in my view, in controls and processes," said Greg Kutz, the Government Accountability Office's head of special investigations. "It shouldn't happen the first time, let alone the second time."

A Defense Department official, Fred Baillie, said his agency followed procedures.

"The fact that those individuals chose to violate the law and the fact that the customs people caught them really indicates that the process is working," said Baillie, the Defense Logistics Agency's executive director of distribution. "Customs is supposed to check all exports to make sure that all the appropriate certifications and licenses had been granted."

The Pentagon recently retired its Tomcats and is shipping tens of thousands of spare parts to its surplus office — the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service — where they could be sold in public auctions. Iran is the only other country flying F-14s.

"It stands to reason Iran will be even more aggressive in seeking F-14 parts," said Stephen Bogni, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arms export investigations. Iran can only produce about 15 percent of the parts itself, he said.

[migrainegram]

Are we stooooopid or what?

[bluestardad]

Hey I have pictures of Iranian Army driving American APC, flying American Hellicopters, Wearing American Helments caring western M-16s. You cannot tell me that all these weapons sales were thru middle men. America gave them the hardware.

[getserious1]

No one can tell you anything bluestardad, you seem to know it all....

[grazinggoat]

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

Bush himself is standing in the center of the said axis. Money talks, the poor walks.

[luvny-2009]

How pathetic are we....

[luvny-2009]

getserious1 - Yeah bluestardad usually is pretty much on target

[djberson]

I think it is sick how wasteful our government is to begin with.... the surplus is a problem in itself. Mothballed fleets upon fleets of warplanes, ships and weapons. And they just keep makin' 'em and developing more. Meanwhile, cancer and other medical problems still have not been eliminated. What a world we live in.

[grazinggoat]

What are the aims of this article? Does it mean that no other arm dealers, but Israelis, should be allowed to purchase American Army surplus, so they can resell them to Iranians at a much higher price than the ***?

[grazinggoat]

Pa*ki is a censored word?

[jimibear]

It seems pretty obvious to me that if Iran is the only nation in the world still flying F-14s, then the solution (if we don't want them to have the parts) is not to sell them.

Of course if (as in Iraq) we want to attack them because we think they still have the weapons we sold them, I guess that plan wouldn't work.

I can see it coming: "We need to attack Iran. They have fighter planes."

[hungry1968]

This is just great.

We arm and train the Taliban against the Russians, then when we fight them, they use those weapons against us.

In the Iran / Iraq war, we armed Iraq so they could defeat Iran. Then they use those weapons against their own people and us. (Does anyone remember the USS Stark?)

We are constantly selling arm and munitions to Israel for use against their Islamic neighbors. Then the Islamics of the world hate our guts and wish us all dead.

Again, will this country never learn from the mistakes of the past?

[rusty50-2009]

Bluestardad - "Hey I have pictures of Iranian Army driving American APC, flying American Hellicopters, Wearing American Helments caring western M-16s. You cannot tell me that all these weapons sales were thru middle men. America gave them the hardware."

When did you get those pictures, when you were living in Iran? Or maybe you're still an Iranian citizen?

Selah

[wolf563]

so whats next GWB ? old fule cells for reactors ?

[hungry1968]

I note that not one refers to the Clinton years mentioned in this article.
Posted by janem4 at 09:52 AM : Jan 16, 2007

Which administration is allowing the parts to be sold? Why does the right wing always try to twist everything back to Clinton? Is that your only defense of the current level of incompetence?
"Yes - it's happening under President Bush, BUT the last guy...."

[rharrin1]

Well here it is terrorism at it's finest go get them georgie

[shingles1]

The F-14's were sold by the US Gov't to Iran back in the 70's. In 1986 the geniuses in the Reagan Administration sold additional weapons (1000 TOW missiles) and spare parts, presumbably for these planes, as part of the whole Iran-Contra deal.

[rharrin1]

A REPUBLICAN DOING THAT, CAN'T BE TRUE MUST BE PROPAGANDA

[rharrin1]

Rusty

I think you got your towel wrapped to tight

[hungry1968]

I guess liberals choose to ignore this sentence.
Posted by singinrick at 10:55 AM : Jan 16, 2007

Which time did we ignore it - the first or second time we tried to sell weapons to our enemies?

This all does make sense though - the Bush family made their fortune by selling weapons to both sides.

[sharncedar]

"the fact that the customs people caught them really indicates that the process is working"

Hah hah hah, that's the same stuff we get every time from the system - everything's working, everything's perfect, there are no problems, there never were any problems, if we find a problem, it shows how good everything is because we found the problem.

More seriously, that is the reason both for the rise and fall of the Republican party. They rose quickly because of party unity and coherence, they are falling to a low point because of faulty group think. Ignoring problems makes great campaigns, but horrible leaders. Avoiding dissent makes great talking points coherence, but horrible policy decisions.

I am actually seriously considering never voting for a Republican again in my life, and I've voted both ways actually never was or will be a Democrat. The Republicans can't seem to stop and change directions when they are wrong, nor can they seem to consider any alternative viewpoints. Not sure what kind of leadership that is supposed to be, it seems like insane leadership. Every good general knows when to retreat, when to advance, when to change a plan, when to stick to a plan.

[macusweil]

Yes, Bush's grand daddy helped the Nazis it runs in the family. Like a good neocon our boy Dubba is happy to help Iranians build their military when they thinks no one is looking just like Ronnie Raygun did before him.

[inventagod]

"A Defense Department official, Fred Baillie, said his agency followed procedures."

So it's OK our Pentagon is selling surplus to the enemy...

Or it's NOT OK...

I still like seeing that picture of Saddam and Rumsfeld shaking hands, before Rumsfeld supplied the guy with weapons...politics...

[fleshmonger6]

At some point, Americans should begin asking the question; why is everyone including our stated enemies able to get what they want and I have to pay so much for gas whose profits just happen to benefit indirectly the leaders of our country, prescription drugs which my government forbade the free market control of competition from occuring, and security for which the average American pays so much and seems to get so very little real security from??? Could it be that those in power are serving anything but us? But to ask these questions is not enough, you must be willing to commit yourself to change these things or else this will continue regardless of the party affiliation of those in power since they are little more than two sides of the same coin...

[hungry1968]

It's a tragedy really - the only people who can fix the system are the ones who are profiting from it. To fix it, you'd need most of congress, most of the senate, and the president to suddenly become honest and decent. If it was one or two people you might have a shot at reform, but right now you need the majority of 536 people to change the current system. The republicans and democrats don't have 269 honest people between them.

[bluestardad]

getserious1; thank you

[bluestardad]

Rusty50 ; you can get your own pictures from CNN if you want.

[oldsailor3]

Catch 22 again?

When I read this book in 1961 or 1962 could there have been something in that book about selling anything to anyone as long as there was a profit. If a profit is to made and we all have a share, why complain?

[bluestardad]

shingles1: Whooop There it issssss!

[bluestardad]

luvNY ; Your are right on we are Pathetic

[bluestardad]

So in the Libyan Fable it is told That once an Eagle, stricken with a dart, said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft, With our own feathers, not by others hands are we now smitten.
Aeschylus

[hrdstonewall]

The American military system has always worked that way and will continue to do so. To cite a few examples, remeber Irangate, Stinger missiles in Afghanistan, the afore mentioned Kennedy scandal and all of the informants and bad apples in the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts. Heck, we heven had similar problems with the Iraq WMD programs intelligence, which I still think are unresolved. Now we have to consider the flipside to the coin. Have all these 'gates' been opened intentionally to give the enemy a reason to come out shooting? I believe there are strong probabilities of that happening? In japanese fencing (Kendo), you always try to read your opponents' weaknesses and one of the most important opening is over-confidence which enables you to strike when your enemy fells strong.

[hrdstonewall]

Oops, sorry for the poor typing.

[consciousnes]

Any Defense Department employee who knew about the deals or were involved should be fired.....
Why do we continually put up with criminals? Even the knowledge and lack of action by any Defense Department employee who knew about this should be grounds for dismissal.
Is it any wonder why we cannot win a conflict? We are fighting against our own equipment because of the greed of people in the Defense Department to make themselves look good on paper so they get their incentive raised, etc.
All obsolete military equipment should be destroyed; the return realized per dollar spent does not warrant the possibility of such equipment getting in the wrong hands.

[hrdstonewall]

As posted in Newsweek April 1987 issue:

"...The strife in the gulf had started in 1984 when Iran and Iraq, at war since 1980, began attacking each other's ships. Inevitably, the vessels of third countries became targets. Over 200 ships had been attacked in the past three years. The Iranians were particularly keen to target the ships of Iraq's ally, Kuwait. Even though only 7% of American oil supplies came from the region, the Reagan administration insisted that U.S. strategic interests required a naval presence in the gulf. Critics complained that Western Europe and Japan, which acquired 25% and 60% of their respective oil needs from the gulf, weren't doing their part in keeping the sea lanes open. In fact, certain Western European nations had become major suppliers of military hardware to both Iran and Iraq. Damage done to the Stark had been caused by French-built missiles fired from a French-built aircraft.

The administration argued that to withdraw from the gulf would be to surrender America's role as leader of the free world, and that if oil shipments were disrupted, prices would soar, adversely affecting the U.S. economy..."

[hrdstonewall]

Thanks hungry1968, for mentioning the USS Stark incident. Like I said, things will continue to work as they have worked to this day. The cited article seems to have been ripped away from future headlines. Again, consider the flipside to the coin. If we have the mightiest military force ever created, then why are third-world rogues always buzzing and hacking at us? I believe it is because hidden powers and prime movers have allowed it and will continue to allow it; just as history has always repeated itself. It will not finish turning until Kingdom Come. And I do not mean that as an euphemism.

[mdc76082]

hungry1968, you are dead wrong. All it takes to fix anything within this country is 300,971,759 Americans with enough guts, pen and paper. Talking about it on blog sites, talk radio shows, etc., won't cure a pimple on this country's but_t. Ever hear of the Boston Tea Party? It doesn't take rocket science or a Phd to fix a *** thing.

[hungry1968]

You can write and protest all you want - the only people that can change the laws are the people that are benefiting from them right now. If you could re-write your work place rules, would you do it to take away a bunch of your own authority and make it harder on yourself? Or would you vote yourself a raise? They've taken control and we can't get it back.

[defirststate]

A Defense Department official, Fred Baillie, said his agency followed procedures.

Doh! Homer Simpson said, before pointing out that the procedures are flawed, to put it nicely. Shouldn't it occur to someone in the Defense Department to change the procedures?

rick picks the one paragraph that is almost supportive of the current administration, but is still a slap in the face of logic. The system worked? If it a shipment were stopped with the Custom's evidence tags from the previous interdiction still on them, it proves only that someone in customs was more vigilant than at one or more morons in the pentagon. It leaves any rational person to conclude that an unknown number of other such shipments were likely not stopped.

Blame Clinton, does the fact that something stupid happened during his administration mean that it should be allowed to continue? If that's the way it should be the next administration will be covered for almost anything. It should be obvious the the boy in charge and his administration have had nearly 6 years to fix this, but it's clinton's fault that they've been asleep at the switch. Maybe they should fix today's problem before taking a trip back in time to past errors.

Stonewall my keyboard makes mistakes all the time, too.

[annd2302]

Try, Try and Try, send you to school, buy you the books, pay for your education and still you sell weapons to the enemy. Where, oh where have I gone wrong?

[webdepot]

Seems everything in America has a price tag.... all anyone has to do is meet it.

When half your GNP is spent on war machinations, is anyone really surprised that two thirds of the world has American arms and technology.

Every president of either party, has kept the war industry well fed by selling our latest arms to countries that are (today) our allies... yet next week, when they become our enemies, those same weapons are used against our boys. Implements of war are a huge industry...

Since Iran is the only country left with F-14's... why don't we just destroy the components instead of arming our enemies.

[bluestardad]

janem4 ; Henry Ford was an American Nazi also!

[tomar0317]

A simple question....What is our government doing?

[alphaa10-2009]

Arms sales to Iran? What else could go wrong? Along with massive giveaways of public lands and natural resources to private interests at fire sale prices, here is another example of Bush, "your Katrina president at work", discovering government is not something he does especially well or intelligently.

In other circles, his is called "failure of due diligence"--- a concept completely foreign to Bush and his gang of neocon bozos who regard public office as a possession, rather than a responsibility.

The next time we hear Bush talk about national security, we are reminded security begins at home-- not in Iraq. It took a GOP congress five years to address even partially the gaping holes Bush left in US border and ports security. Who's minding the store? (Nobody's workin'!)

[Syndicate]

I don't think these F-14s have flown since the shaw was removed from office. The fleeing American technicians did a number on them before leaving the country. Even if the Iranians got them operational, they are pretty obsolete. These were first generation F-14s. One of the reasons we supply arms to allies is to control them. They have to buy the spare parts from us.

The US sells more weapons then any other country. Do a search on 'world arms sales'.
I believe the West "Europe & USA"; sell around 75% or the total weapons sold in the world. They do this to create peace & spread democracy in the world, NOT REALLY. Weapons sales are a huge business, with massive corporate profits, and complete government collaboration. Have we already forgot about the "Iran-Contra Affair, 1983-1988". Remember Robert Gates was involved in that, and he is now where, I believe he is the U.S. Secretary of Defense now.

This article isn't really news, it only slightly scratches the surface of American weapons sales. This so called news, just gives this placebo affect that the system works and something will be done. Yet nothing will really be done, it will be business as normal. With the system we now have n place, the corporate owned government & Big Media, with a 440 billion dollar military budget to enforce an economic model on the world that benefits the few.

People there are better places to get informed then mainstream media, like here on the CBS


peace








the same people that left Europe and conquered two other continents, and who have controlled the politics in the middle east & parts of Africa for over the past 100 years, sell about 75% of the weapons in the world.

[Syndicate]

I'm currious if that %75 is in actual units moved or the diffreance in price due to technology and quality controls.

[annd2302]

bluestardad

Get a life, what makes you think Henry Ford was a Nazi? Yea, I suppose so was Billy Graham.

[nativewoman]

Our stupidity never ceases to amaze me.

Wouldn't that make the US Military traitorous in that they are giving aid and comfort to the enemy?

Oh wait! Somebody is making money off of this so that makes it all right.

[patriotic9]

Where are all the conservative bloggers like singinrick,One-American,etc today?Those who support Bush and call Iran a terrorist country.
I am really scared that we can not win this war with such a great leadership in the White House.Where are those Conservatives today who used to call those opposing Iraq invasion as Un-patriotic and Anti-American.Now it's very clear who is a true patriot and who is not,who is a Pro-American and who is not.
Those people who have sold our weapons to Iran can also sell our Nuclear Weapons to OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN.I think we have already lost the war by electing Bush as a President.

annd2302


Ford was a Nazi
Is referring to corporate America's involvement in funding Hitler. It was corporate America who massively funded Hitler to build his war machine. War is profitable, and will be, for as long as the masses except the Corporate owned system we have. Which includes relying on mainstream media for news and information, it's not, it is misinformation. The Iraq lies, WMD show us this point very blatantly, only the Iraq lies barely touch the surface of how bad it really is.

check out Global Research, or GNN news
It takes a while to learn good sources, and names in actual journalism; like: Robert Fisk, Jonathan Cook, Richard Bulliet, Michel Chossudovsky, Scott Ritter, or Colonel Sam Gardiner

Article her by Colonel Sam Gardiner
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/17/143241


peace