91av

IF THE US wants to stop Iran in its tracks, perhaps it should make sure the country can’t buy Department of Defense (DoD) equipment on eBay.

Investigators from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) wanted to know if it was possible for countries or organisations opposed to the US to obtain sensitive items of military equipment over the internet. They were astonished to discover how easy it was.

Using the online trading sites eBay and Craigslist and posing as members of the general public, the team had no trouble at all picking up 10 pieces of US military body armour, which are supposed to be destroyed if no longer required by the DoD. They also managed to buy a used nuclear-biological-chemical protective suit, an antenna for an F-14 jet fighter and several other sensitive items, the GAO says in a it released last week. While the US has retired its F-14 fleet, one nation has not: Iran – and it is known to be in need of components to maintain the aircraft.

Apart from using the items directly in attacks, the GAO says that nations or organisations opposed to the US could study the items and devise ways of creating their own protection, or identify weaknesses – in the armour say – that could be exploited in attacks on US soldiers or their allies.

The GAO doesn’t know exactly how the sellers of the equipment got hold of it, but a string of military employees and self-employed traders now face criminal investigations. The GAO has also criticised Craigslist and eBay for doing little to stop the sales.

Weapons Technology – Keep up with the latest innovations in our cutting edge .