April 11th, 2008
For sale on eBay: Nuclear biological protection gear and other cool stuff
eBay auction. Item: F-14 Antenna. Winning bidder: Mahoud A.
For sale: Nuclear biological chemical gear. Contact anon1234@craigslist.org
eBay auction. Item: Small arms protective inserts. Winning bidder: Hu J.
These are just a few of the items the Government Accountability Office discovered for sale on eBay and Craigslist. There is much more, much of it stolen from the US military, sold to fences and eventually resold on the Internet. The GAO says in a report to Congress (PDF):
Military-issue items bought on eBay and Craigslist on display at a House hearing. (Credit: Anne Broache/CNET News.com)
GAO investigators also identified examples of U.S. government property that was stolen and sold for a profit rather than being utilized by DOD. For example, GAO found two civilian store owners who acted as conduits for defense-related property that was likely stolen from the military. The store owners told GAO they purchased gear from service members—including Kevlar vests, flak jackets, and gas masks—and sold it through eBay to the general public. GAO also purchased stolen military meals, ready-to-eat (MRE) and found a robust market for stolen military MREs on eBay and Craigslist.
The GAO says Iran is a likely bidder for that F-14 antenna, as it’s the only country using F-14s. Bidders from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singpore have won those small arms inserts.
Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.), who heads the subcommittee that called a hearing on the report Thursday, expressed concern that these items could be used by terrorists. He cited an episode where Iraqi insurgents dressed as US soldiers entered a security post and killed five soldiers.
But it’s not illegal to sell many of these items, defense officials said at the hearing. It’s legal to sell body armor and night-vision goggles. And soliders are free to sell their uniforms after leaving the service.
It would be “very hard to tell (soldiers) that you can’t resell that item when they’ve purchased it with their own resources,” said the Army’s Sarah Finnecum.
