Pentagon Sold Banned Jet Equipment

Posted on Aug 2, 2007

The Government Accountability Office has found that the Defense Department sold roughly 1,400 parts that could be used to repair Iran’s aging air force, despite a crackdown on such sales.

A little background: Iran, and only Iran, flies a particular jet that requires American parts for maintenance. While the U.S., ever flirting with a confrontation with Iran, doesn’t sell the parts directly, third-party buyers could conceivably purchase the needed equipment on behalf of Iran, hence the crackdown. It’s unknown whether the prohibited parts mentioned in the GAO investigation made their way there.

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Los Angeles Times:

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said the Defense Department had improved security in its surplus program to prevent improper sales of sensitive items.

But investigators found that about 1,400 parts that could be used on F-14 “Tomcat” fighter jets were sold to the public in February. That came after the Pentagon announced it had suspended sales of all parts that could be used on the Tomcat while it reviewed security concerns. It was not known whether any parts were sold to Iran.

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