Not Your Momma's eBay
OK -- so let's say you want to get your hands on an authentic Army uniform, or some of those great military-issue night-vision goggles, or even parts to F-14 jets. You could enlist in the military, of course. Or, as the Government Accountability Office reported today, you can save the hassle of boot-camp by just logging on to Craigslist or eBay.
After 13 months of browsing the two popular online yard-sales, GAO investigators purchased a dozen sensitive items, including body armor, nuclear biological chemical gear and the antenna for an F-14. All the merchandise was shipped "no questions asked," the report says, adding that many items had been stolen from the military.
And that's all well and good. Considering the amount of gear the Defense Dept. buys each year, a few items are bound to slip by the auditors. Still, there's little solace in consideration of who's buying this stuff at the other end.
"F-14 components," the report dryly notes, "are in demand by Iran, the only country with operating F-14s."
Comments:
Posted 04/11/2008 12:18pm with
Well, that trillion dollars of accounted for equipment the Pentagon can’t seem to remember where it misplaced had to show up somewhere. Sign of the times that it would end up on eBay and Craigslist. Who is it that’s always railing on about government inefficiency and waste?