F-14 Parts Sold Despite Sales Ban

[Former Member]

I stumbled across this article today on Military.com. Our wonderful government at work.

John

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,1 ... 59,00.html

[John Ceglarek]

Well, it's certainly not desirable, but I have a hard time getting really worked up over it. The US Navy retired the aircraft because of the horrendous costs of keeping them flying, even with all the parts the Navy had in inventory. If we couldn't do it, I find it very hard to believe that the Iranians can either. And, unofficial conversations I've had with US Navy pilots support that position. Those I've spoken to don't believe that the Iranian F-14s are a credible threat.

John

[Former Member]

Those I've spoken to don't believe that the Iranian F-14s are a credible threat.

John

I agree...I just find it ironic that the government goofs on selling these "sensitive" parts after the feds swooped down and seized those F-14's in California a few months back because they supposedly weren't properly demilled.

John

Last edited by Former Member on Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Shay]

That still won't stop the politicians from destroying the remainder of the fleet.

Whatever it takes to make yourself look better in the eyes of the public even if it really isn't helping.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Forgotten Field]

The only credible threat based on F-14's is the threat to manufacture of
F-22's and the JSR. An aircraft flying and with proven weapons systems is a big reason to not build new ones. So it had to go.

[Rob Mears]

So much for "not letting the Terrorists win" and all that other grand posturing.

On the contrary, it's now understood that Iran had the power to reach in and destroy American heritage without so much as casting hard glance in our general direction. In my opinion, this is just another study as to how the overly obtuse recations of the US Government work to further the aganda of the enemy - cutting off our nose in efforts to spite Iran's face, so to speak.

If you don't want Iran acquiring a few spares for their otherwise derelict fleet of (easily defeatable) Tomcats, just consolidate all of our surviving F-14 airframes at Davis Monthan, assign a half-dozen guards to keep watch over them, and be done with the whole issue until the threat subsides. It's obvious this has far more to do with one-upmanship than it does with suppressing any actual impending danger from Iran.

To me, the whole operation works like this. The US Government does the domestic footwork and effectively diffuses the threat of Iran obtaining F-14 parts (for a derelict fighter fleet that otherwise poses no real threat to anyone in the first place). Then, once those parts are secure, we are free to disseminate and control whatever propaganda is necessary to maintain public fear over the perceived threat, all without having to actually contend with any real threat. In my opinion, the US Government has zero to gain from releasing statements to the press admitting "we believe Iran has still been able to obtain our parts, and thus continue to be a growing threat". The whole circumstance is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. The worst that could come of it IMO would be the bad publicity stemming from American-made fighters shooting down American-made fighters. It just sheds more light on the fact that we were in bed with these same folks not too long ago. Just like getting into a high-profile fight with some skanky ex-girlfriend that you had a regretable relationship with - there are certain precarious rules of engagement you have to follow to come out without any stink on ya!

[tom d. friedman]

were the capitalist pigs, american dogs, infidels, & their other rhetoric & b.s. they throw to the world wide media & al jeara their news media, let alone al with the gold tooth..... & they have the audacity & nerve to fly american technology for 30 + years. what a bunch of hypocritic s.o.b.s!!! this amindjdjdjdjdjdj what ever his name is, can't be allowed to sink the mid east. he's worse than ayatolla royal hola assahola kholmeini of the 70's & 80's. granted.... bush / the entire u.s. government f'd up iraq, but this iraq thing is a pimple on a flea's butt compared to the cluster f*ck in iran. we had better get this thing nailed down soon.

[bdk]

US says illegal weapons exports growing By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 21 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Missile technology, fighter jet parts, night vision goggles and other U.S. wartime equipment increasingly are being illegally smuggled to potential adversaries, such as China and Iran, the federal government said Thursday.

Last week, two Utah men were arrested for allegedly trying to sell parts over the Internet for F-4 and F-14 fighter jets — which are only flown by Iran. The week before, two engineers were indicted in San Jose, Calif., on charges of stealing computer chip designs intended for the Chinese military.

Government lawyers and investigators Thursday described a growing number of unauthorized exports that could be dangerous if the parts and supplies end up in the hands of terrorists or hostile nations.

"The concept of terrorists, criminals or rogue nations obtaining weapons and other restricted technology is chilling," said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers, who oversees illegal export investigations as head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Assistant Attorney General Ken Wainstein called new government efforts to crack down on illegal exports the Justice Department's top counterintelligence priority.

A Pentagon report noted a 43 percent increase in 2005 in what it described as suspicious foreign contacts with U.S-based defense companies. Another report last year by U.S. intelligence officials found that a record 108 nations were trying to buy or otherwise obtain U.S. technology that is restricted for sale. It did not list which nations or specify whether some of them were U.S. allies.

Night vision goggles, body armor and equipment used in improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, have been in particular demand since the 2001 terror attacks that prompted the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, officials said. But some prosecutors have been reluctant to pursue the smugglers because illegal export cases can be very complicated and time-consuming to chase.

"These are incredibly complicated cases," Wainstein said, adding that training and assistance will be given to prosecutors and investigators working on a new task force under the departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security, Defense, Commerce and the FBI. The task force largely will focus on U.S.-based exporters who sell or ship equipment overseas without proper authorization.

Other recent smuggling cases of concern to national security officials include:

_An Indonesian man was indicted in Madison, Wis., Thursday on charges of conspiring to export rifle scopes to Indonesia.

_Pittsburgh company SparesGlobal, Inc., was sentenced last week for lying about exporting equipment used in nuclear reactors and ballistic missiles in 2003 that ended up in Pakistan.

_A man in California pleaded guilty in August to trying to smuggle 100,000 Uzi submachine guns and night vision goggles to Iranian government officials.

_Two men pleaded guilty in California on the same day, Aug. 1, to exporting military-use technology to China, including, in one case, computer code to help train fighter pilots.

(This version CORRECTS description of alleged smuggling destinations in lead paragraph. )

[Michel C-GNCJ]

IMHO, as long as there will be big money to be made selling any of that stuff, there will be greedy people wiling to sell it to whoever wants it.

Nothing to do with ideology there or good principles... Just plain crappy greed ! And this is valid for any type of hardware. Just look at history, it's full of examples.

[mustangdriver]

So will POF and Yanks ever get their F-14's back?

[RickH]

Nope. I hear they've already been scrapped.

[B17news]

wouldn't it just be easier for the terrorists to buy some Mig 29s from the open market?
B

[shoki]

Shhhhhhh. don't give them any ideas.

[n5151ts]

who EXACTLY is this "WE THE PEOPLE..." that the founding fathers had in mind---it surely isn't me...