Texas Drifter NSJA Background: Defective Defense Parts
Marshall’s Law Dateline – How can reader comprehend solution without first understanding problem?
Two reference sources for the problem.
1)Sample of problem excerpt Bloomberg Business Week 11-18-2011
The Senate Armed Services Committee found counterfeit parts -- usually from China -- on at least seven aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin Corp. C-130J transport plane, Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and L-3 27J Spartan transport.
“Suspect electronic parts from China were installed on military systems and subsystems that were manufactured by Raytheon Co., L-3 Communications and Boeing,” said the memo from the committee’s staff, released yesterday in advance of a hearing today.
… the committee staff has “identified lots of places where, unless that correction was made, there was real fear that those kind of disastrous consequences could take place,” Levin said.
Separately, the Pentagon’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service is investigating approximately 40 cases involving various counterfeit items, Assistant Pentagon Inspector General for Investigative Operations James Ives said in an e-mail. The agency is conducting 225 investigations “involving potentially defective or substandard parts and components,” he said.
“The cases may involve counterfeits or improperly made parts,” Ives said.
Memory Chip Risks
The L-3 unit that made the displays learned of the suspect memory chips in November 2010, the memo said. The committee traced the chips to Hong Dark Electronic Trade in Shenzhen, China, which also delivered an earlier counterfeit part L-3 discovered in October 2009, it said.
The C-27J displays were among more than 500 containing suspect Chinese parts sold to the Air Force, Navy and defense contractors for installation also on C-130J and C-17 transport and Marine Corps CH-46 helicopters, the memo said.
Serious Problem
“The fact that defective parts are in aircraft that are deployed in Afghanistan is evidence of the seriousness of the problem,” Levin said in an e-mail to Bloomberg News.
The Senate committee’s investigative staff amassed a database with 1,800 cases of counterfeiting totaling about 1 million parts. It scrutinized 100 cases and found that 70 percent of the suspect parts were traced to Chinese firms, according to the memo.
2) Another report: Daily Tech – U.S. GOA June 17, 2011 excerpts:
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the U.S. Congress has been busy investigating reports of fake and/or damaged parts in the U.S. supply chain. It has released its preliminary findings [press release] and they may come as a shock to some -- though perhaps not so much for others.
The GAO claims that 40 percent of the U.S. Department of Defense's supply chain is adversely impacted by fake or defective parts. From missiles, to rifles, to vehicles, problems abound. The common thread, says the GAO, is that virtually all the suspect parts originated from contractors in China.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in 2010 seized 19,959 loads of suspected counterfeit parts and materials valued at approximately $1.4B USD. That's a 39 percent rise from 2009. ICE also reports dealing with 2,000 intellectual property abuse claims last year, which resulted 365 arrests, 216 indictments and 170 convictions.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), under the auspice of the Defense Department Inspector, has its hands full as well. It is currently actively probing 45 reports of counterfeit parts and 200 allegations of substandard or non-conforming parts.
As mentioned, most of these parts come from China.
Particularly troublesome are reports of counterfeit computer chips. Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn admitted to the magazine Foreign Affairs last year that, "[A]lready, counterfeit hardware has been detected in systems that the DOD has procured."
The report is troubling as it not only endangers national security through failures, but could be a possible route to espionage attempts as well.
The GAO report describes counterfeit seatbelt clasps delivered for Army vehicles, fake computer routers delivered to the Navy, and Air Force microprocessors that were also counterfeit.
In the field of defense small changes can make the difference between life and death. While the failure of a graphics card or a smart phone due to subpar counterfeit parts might be disappointing, the failure of a jet fighter CPU or a soldier's machine gun could be deadly.
Over the last couple decades U.S. companies have increasingly turned to China to provide for their supply chain. It's hard to resist -- the Chinese offer cheaper labor, parts, and assembly than anywhere else in the world and their workers are moderately skilled.
However, there are serious problems from a culture of corruption and corner cutting with the Asian giant. In July 2007 China executed the nation's former top drug regulator after he was found taking bribes to allow counterfeit products that resulted in deaths. The U.S. has experienced this problem first hand, in recalls of children's toys that were found to contain toxic levels of brain-damaging lead.
And most recently China's high speed train efforts were derailed when they found contractors to be using substandard materials and dangerous cheap fillers. As a result, China was forced to slow its world-leading trains to a pace slower than its foreign competitors.
All of these are telltale signs of a bigger problems looming over the Chinese manufacturing agency. Chinese labor may be cheap. But it's prone to espionage, defects, counterfeiting, and substandard materials.
Ultimate the U.S. Department of Defense has a budget to maintain, though, and at the end of the day it's made the same decision many U.S. companies have -- take the risk of using Chinese parts.
According to the GAO report, most of the counterfeit parts are coming from Shenzhen, a major manufacturing center in China's sea-facing southern Guangdong province.
Some may recognize Shenzhen as the home of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd. (2317) subsidiary Foxconn's massive "city" plant where over 200,000 employees toil assembling products for Apple Inc. (AAPL) and other manufacturers. The plant gained international attention last year after a string of suicides highlighted poor working conditions at the company's Chinese plant .
The GAO has sent inspectors to investigate in Shenzhen. However, they've met a roadblock -- the Chinese government learned of this plan and moved to block the investigators' effort to gain visas. The Chinese government demanded the U.S. inspectors postpone their trip.
U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former National Guard Member, blasted the decision in an interview [video] with CNN. But he puts most of the blame on the American government and the DOD for allowing this behavior.
He states, "It's easy to blame the Chinese for this. Just like it's easy to blame the Chinese for taking our jobs and shutting down American manufacturing plants. But we're letting this happen. And the Department of Defense needs to pay way more attention to its whole supply chain."
He says that the cost cutting not only costs "America's jobs", but also "national security", as well.
"If we're using American taxpayer dollars to buy these goods, you better make sure they're American made, you better make sure they're safe, you better make sure you're doing this right," he opines, "If not, you're not contracting with us any more."
Unfortunately Sen. Brown's rhetoric seems far from the DOD's real world daily actions.
More reference materials can be located by searching China selling defective military parts for America’s military.
Texas Drifter note, seems these policies were started under President Clinton, expanded under President Bush II, and allowed to expand to national security threats approaching treason by Obama.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Continue Plus 403
Texas Drifter College Bad Investment?
Marshall’s Law Dateline – Romney is not yet Republican Party nomination; if Romney becomes RINO nominee and choice is Obama or Obama light that is a different issue. Until that infamous choice arrives, Romney is legitimate primary political target for principled conservatives. Contemporary choices are clear, anyone but Obama, and almost anyone but Romney.
Moving on to theme of this writing exercise, is college a bad investment?
Why college degrees might be bad investment:
1. Most graduates to not receive marketable skills in tight jobs market;
2. Leaves graduates in n massive debt for education which prevents future debt to finance home, new constructed home purchases are necessary to revive America’s economy;
3. Graduates in perpetual poverty with almost no future to enter employment careers rather “just jobs” in private sector;
4. In debt graduate become government indentured servant or slave.
Who benefits from college degrees being bad investment?
1. Government teachers;
2. Government paper shuffling bureaucrats like Department of Education employees;
3. Allows Marxist-fascist politicians like Obama to enslave graduates owing student loans into political indentured servants.
Alternative options to bad college diploma investment:
1. First, earn a blue collar trade like plumbing, carpentry, electrician, truck driver, mechanic, (reader can add to list)…. Second; “then pay as you go” college education;
2. Graduate starts young adult life with no debts related to college investments;
3. Graduate should not have to not have to live as indentured servant at whims of government bureaucrats with Marxist-fascist personalities.
4. Start equating four years of military service to three years of college, plus one benefit of honorably leaving military is for veteran having books, tuitions, and other related expenses for one year of college which results in standard Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree diploma from all federally supported colleges and universities.
Examples:
1. One desires to be insurance adjuster, need college degree, one year of college to learn trade specific education skills cost covered as military benefit for years of service;
2. Want to be CPA, need one year of college for degree plus two years advanced trade specific education skills; one year of cost covered as benefit for military service; fifty percent of remaining years cost covered as no interest government loan with student providing remaining costs from their own employment or personal sources;
3. Formula can be consistently applied to all careers including: medical professionals, attorneys, and other vocations
Much of modern college is spending two years to grow up not all people need to spend first two years of college learning to grow up. Also one year of college is learning to appreciate “arts” with elective courses. Students can learn about the arts on their own time by reading or taking internet classes which will not cost them estimated thirty thousand to fifty thousand dollars year. Final year generally relates to generic non-specific trade skills.
Return “high schools” to teaching facilities with graduation standards like those of elementary school McGuffey Readers that were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling. Sad but true most contemporary high school graduates could not pass McGuffey text elementary school tests.
Most real world employment opportunities do not depends on excelling in secondary school extracurricular activities like varsity sports, band or cheerleading. First two years of high school should concentrate on reading, English composition, basic math, science, and civics. Last two years should be devoted to vocational or university pre-placement classes.
Here is deal probably but hopefully not for Romney: Texas Drifter does not respect your weekly principles changes which makes Romney a typical political chameleon known as Moderate Republican and political strumpet to many conservatives.
First lesson learned in intelligence industry is that one often has to do business with political strumpets. Here is offer conservatives might make to Romney if he is Republican RINO nominee to represent conservatives in 2012 presidential election.
Romney will sign following executive order, first thing after finishing his oath to Heaven to uphold protect and defend: All federally funded colleges will transfer four years of military service to three years of college credits which will be applied to standard “four year” Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Degrees. Federally funded colleges or universities refusing to comply will lose all their federal tax dollars. Texas Drifter is not attorney so perhaps reader could better transcribe better executive order.
Reader’s assignment, explain in twenty words or less how college degrees can be bad investments.
Some suggest that grammar is study of words and their relationships in complete thoughts sometimes called sentences. Is following sentence proper grammar? Romney will return to his Obama light belief system and abandon conservatives because Moderate Republicans are people for only principal, not people of principle; that have no problem lying “for their own good” to overly religious oafish uncivilized conservative middle class citizens. Texas Drifter’s made a mistake that was a true or false question.
Marshall’s Law Dateline – Romney is not yet Republican Party nomination; if Romney becomes RINO nominee and choice is Obama or Obama light that is a different issue. Until that infamous choice arrives, Romney is legitimate primary political target for principled conservatives. Contemporary choices are clear, anyone but Obama, and almost anyone but Romney.
Moving on to theme of this writing exercise, is college a bad investment?
Why college degrees might be bad investment:
1. Most graduates to not receive marketable skills in tight jobs market;
2. Leaves graduates in n massive debt for education which prevents future debt to finance home, new constructed home purchases are necessary to revive America’s economy;
3. Graduates in perpetual poverty with almost no future to enter employment careers rather “just jobs” in private sector;
4. In debt graduate become government indentured servant or slave.
Who benefits from college degrees being bad investment?
1. Government teachers;
2. Government paper shuffling bureaucrats like Department of Education employees;
3. Allows Marxist-fascist politicians like Obama to enslave graduates owing student loans into political indentured servants.
Alternative options to bad college diploma investment:
1. First, earn a blue collar trade like plumbing, carpentry, electrician, truck driver, mechanic, (reader can add to list)…. Second; “then pay as you go” college education;
2. Graduate starts young adult life with no debts related to college investments;
3. Graduate should not have to not have to live as indentured servant at whims of government bureaucrats with Marxist-fascist personalities.
4. Start equating four years of military service to three years of college, plus one benefit of honorably leaving military is for veteran having books, tuitions, and other related expenses for one year of college which results in standard Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree diploma from all federally supported colleges and universities.
Examples:
1. One desires to be insurance adjuster, need college degree, one year of college to learn trade specific education skills cost covered as military benefit for years of service;
2. Want to be CPA, need one year of college for degree plus two years advanced trade specific education skills; one year of cost covered as benefit for military service; fifty percent of remaining years cost covered as no interest government loan with student providing remaining costs from their own employment or personal sources;
3. Formula can be consistently applied to all careers including: medical professionals, attorneys, and other vocations
Much of modern college is spending two years to grow up not all people need to spend first two years of college learning to grow up. Also one year of college is learning to appreciate “arts” with elective courses. Students can learn about the arts on their own time by reading or taking internet classes which will not cost them estimated thirty thousand to fifty thousand dollars year. Final year generally relates to generic non-specific trade skills.
Return “high schools” to teaching facilities with graduation standards like those of elementary school McGuffey Readers that were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling. Sad but true most contemporary high school graduates could not pass McGuffey text elementary school tests.
Most real world employment opportunities do not depends on excelling in secondary school extracurricular activities like varsity sports, band or cheerleading. First two years of high school should concentrate on reading, English composition, basic math, science, and civics. Last two years should be devoted to vocational or university pre-placement classes.
Here is deal probably but hopefully not for Romney: Texas Drifter does not respect your weekly principles changes which makes Romney a typical political chameleon known as Moderate Republican and political strumpet to many conservatives.
First lesson learned in intelligence industry is that one often has to do business with political strumpets. Here is offer conservatives might make to Romney if he is Republican RINO nominee to represent conservatives in 2012 presidential election.
Romney will sign following executive order, first thing after finishing his oath to Heaven to uphold protect and defend: All federally funded colleges will transfer four years of military service to three years of college credits which will be applied to standard “four year” Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Degrees. Federally funded colleges or universities refusing to comply will lose all their federal tax dollars. Texas Drifter is not attorney so perhaps reader could better transcribe better executive order.
Reader’s assignment, explain in twenty words or less how college degrees can be bad investments.
Some suggest that grammar is study of words and their relationships in complete thoughts sometimes called sentences. Is following sentence proper grammar? Romney will return to his Obama light belief system and abandon conservatives because Moderate Republicans are people for only principal, not people of principle; that have no problem lying “for their own good” to overly religious oafish uncivilized conservative middle class citizens. Texas Drifter’s made a mistake that was a true or false question.
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