America's other arms procurement programme
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America's other arms procurement programme
Blimey, you couldn't make it up.
Buying un-American: Bribery Case Spotlights DoD’s Covert Effort To Obtain Foreign Weapons | Defense News | defensenews.com
But the rest of the operations continued, though U.S. businessmen were now skittish. Here’s one effort that proceeded: a multipronged effort to obtain a supersonic, sea-skimming anti-ship missile the Russians call the Moskit, or 3M80. (NATO calls it the SS-N-22 “Sunburn.” The U.S. was interested in obtaining both the original Russian version and an adaptation which the Russians were selling around the world.)
He says he worked above board, dealing with an office in the Russian military. It was a time of peace when no one thought the Russians and the Americans would be at war directly, so the Russians, he says, were willing to even send over 10 technicians to help demonstrate the missile and the American scientists could figure out what worked.
Suddenly, something went wrong. It turned out there was another mission underway, this one a covert operation to acquire the very same missile system. A major with the GRU, the Russian foreign intelligence agency, called him to tell him things were going sour.
Buying un-American: Bribery Case Spotlights DoD’s Covert Effort To Obtain Foreign Weapons | Defense News | defensenews.com
But the rest of the operations continued, though U.S. businessmen were now skittish. Here’s one effort that proceeded: a multipronged effort to obtain a supersonic, sea-skimming anti-ship missile the Russians call the Moskit, or 3M80. (NATO calls it the SS-N-22 “Sunburn.” The U.S. was interested in obtaining both the original Russian version and an adaptation which the Russians were selling around the world.)
He says he worked above board, dealing with an office in the Russian military. It was a time of peace when no one thought the Russians and the Americans would be at war directly, so the Russians, he says, were willing to even send over 10 technicians to help demonstrate the missile and the American scientists could figure out what worked.
Suddenly, something went wrong. It turned out there was another mission underway, this one a covert operation to acquire the very same missile system. A major with the GRU, the Russian foreign intelligence agency, called him to tell him things were going sour.
Last edited by NutLoose; 6th Mar 2013 at 23:17.
Actually, that isn't all that uncommon.
Stovepiping in government arms, particularly in a large government like the US, is a hazard of the business. Various departments share some info and other they may not. Also, if the objectives of a given department are different than the other, based on function, what may seem an obvious fit to an uninterested third party may not be so obvious to those inside both stove pipes.
Stovepiping in government arms, particularly in a large government like the US, is a hazard of the business. Various departments share some info and other they may not. Also, if the objectives of a given department are different than the other, based on function, what may seem an obvious fit to an uninterested third party may not be so obvious to those inside both stove pipes.
