Arms deals spotted on Ebay

HALF-INCHED US military hardware, including fighter jet parts and nuclear biological protective gear, has been up for grabs on Ebay and Craigslist.

A Congressional committee has discovered that some of the bits were desperately needed by Iran which has been suffering a bit from various technology embargos lately.

Apparently, all the military had to do is go online and fork out a pretty hefty delivery charge, the House subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs was told.

Using undercover identities, investigators managed to buy more than a dozen defence-related items before their expense account ran out.

They were not even asked by the seller which country they would want to invade, or quite why they needed an F14's drop fuel tanks.

Much of the gear was on a list of stolen kit from the US Munitions List, which means that it should have been a bit difficult to get it out of the country.

However, the congressional investigators believe that the gear ends up in the hands of international brokers' so that it can be sneaked out.

Investigators said that the US equipment could have been used directly against our troops and allies, so no change there then. µ

L'Inq
Sydney Morning Herald