3/27/2012 12:25:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS
GAO Says Pentagon at Risk of Buying Counterfeit Parts
Counterfeit parts whose sources knowingly misrepresent their origins have the potential to disrupt the Defense Department’s supply chain, delay missions, affect the integrity of weapons’ systems and endanger service members’ lives, the General Accountability Office found.
According to the Washington Post, the GAO found as part of its ongoing investigation into military parts that “almost anything” is at risk of being counterfeited, from fasteners used on planes to electronics used on missile guidance systems.
Auditors reportedly created a fake company to buy and sell defense parts. After submitting requests for fictitious parts from 16 different vendors, auditors contracted with a company that authenticates components to analyze whether the parts were legitimate.
“None of the 16 parts purchased last fall, from voltage regulators to an operational amplifier, were authentic,” writes Lisa Rein of the Post. “Vendors falsified information about when the product was manufactured, refurbished old parts to look like new, re-marked them to display numbers and manufacturer logos of authentic parts, or features were deficient from military standards.”
A majority of the parts in GAO’s investigation reportedly came from China. ©2012 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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