The
Defense Department’s supply chain is vulnerable to the infiltration of
counterfeit parts, potentially jeopardizing the lives of American soldiers,
according to two Democratic senators. In an August 6 letter to the
undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, the
Senators argued the Pentagon was not doing enough to protect the system from
imitation supplies, many of which originate overseas. “Counterfeit parts
manufactured offshore not only hurt American manufacturing and competitiveness,
but in this case, have the potential to put our military at risk and jeopardize
our national security missions,” one said. The letter cited two recent reports
that detailed serious weaknesses in Defense’s ability to root out fake
supplies. In January, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security
found all elements of the Defense and international supply chain have been
directly affected by counterfeit electronics. The assessment, which covered
2005 to 2008, focused on discrete electronic components, microcircuits and
circuit board products. A total of 387 companies and organizations,
representing all five segments of the supply chain participated in the study.
Investigators found 39 percent of companies and organizations encountered
counterfeit electronics during the four-year period. The number of incidents
grew from 3,868 in 2005 to 9,356 in 2008, the report said.
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