Counterfeit Chinese parts inundating U.S.

The U.S. military, which prides itself as the most powerful military in the world, is infested with counterfeit electronic parts made in China, a new study from the Senate Armed Services Committee warns. America’s military may be tough, but its overreliance on technology—especially technology manufactured overseas—is its Achilles heel. And it is going to bring it down. abc News reports in “Counterfeit Chinese Parts Slipping Into U.S. Military Aircraft”:

Counterfeit electronic parts from China are “flooding” into critical U.S. military systems, including special operations helicopters and surveillance planes, and are putting the nation’s troops at risk, according to a new U.S. Senate committee report.A year-long investigation conducted by the Senate Armed Services Committee found more than 1 million suspected counterfeit parts made their way into the Department of Defense’s supply chain and were bound for use by “critical” military systems …. In addition to Navy helicopters and surveillance planes, the parts were slated to be put into the Air Force’s newest cargo planes. …Chinese companies were identified as the “primary source” of the counterfeit goods and the Chinese government was criticized for its alleged disinterest in cracking down on counterfeiting there.

Is anyone really surprised that China is uninterested in cracking down on counterfeit parts headed for use in American military equipment? It may in fact have an incentive to promote the sale of counterfeit electronics to America. It would also not be surprising if it has already succeeded in infiltrating the U.S. military with specifically engineered counterfeit parts. One wonders if the recent problems relating to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are related to fake parts. The abc article continues:

[T]he committee also pointed a finger at the Pentagon and U.S.-based defense contractors that rely on “hundreds of unvetted independent distributors.” …”Our committee’s report makes it abundantly clear that vulnerabilities throughout the defense supply chain allow counterfeit electronic parts to infiltrate critical U.S. military systems, risking our security and the lives of the men and women who protect it,” said Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Sen. John McCain (R.-Arizona). “As directed by last year’s Defense Authorization bill, the Department of Defense and its contractors must attack this problem more aggressively, particularly since counterfeiters are becoming better at shielding their dangerous fakes from detection.”

Here is what the Trumpet’s editor in chief warned back in 2005, before the fake parts issue became so problematic:

I believe one key end-time Bible prophecy could well be fulfilled through … cyberterrorism …. “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof” (Ezekiel 7:14). The trumpet of war is to be blown in Israel—mainly America and Britain. It seems everybody is expecting our people to go into battle, but the greatest tragedy imaginable occurs! Nobody goes to battle—even though the trumpet is blown! Will it be because of computer terrorism?

Read “America’s Achilles Heel” by Gerald Flurry for further information on the Bible’s perspective on America’s military future.