Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
May 15, 2008
Pg. 5
Night-vision devices in demand by Taliban
By Peter Eisler, USA Today
WASHINGTON — The e-mails, found on computer equipment seized from an accused terrorist supporter, detail items the Taliban wanted to use against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"What equipment do they need?" asks one message, described in a Justice Department affidavit filed as part of an ongoing effort to have Babar Ahmad extradited from Britain on charges of funneling money and supplies to the fighters. "Is there a (smuggling) route for equipment such as tents, torches, night vision?"
The response, according to the affidavit, uses the code words "Students" for Taliban members and "Arabs" for foreign fighters in Afghanistan. But there's nothing cryptic about its thrust: "Night visions are VERY important, as Students and Arabs, both are concentrating on the special covert operations."
The e-mail exchange, which includes other references to smuggling night-vision goggles via Pakistan, occurred at the end of 2001, soon after U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan. Since then, U.S. adversaries have been trying to get the equipment, which could erase a major tactical edge for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"It's considered an extremely sensitive technology because the highest generations of night vision are thought to give our troops a considerable advantage, to the point where we fight a significant portion of our battles at night," says Clif Burns, a Washington lawyer who specializes in export control issues. That, Burns says, makes the technology valuable to current and potential enemies.
Prosecutions for theft and smuggling of night-vision equipment have climbed steadily in recent years, and the Justice Department says the equipment leads all other categories of military technology for illegal purchases and exports.
A handful of those cases have involved U.S. military personnel or civilian defense workers stealing night-vision equipment from storage facilities and trying to pawn or sell it through eBay, Justice Department records show. In one of the biggest cases of theft from a military installation, Pentagon investigators recently announced a $10,000 reward for information on the disappearance of 34 sets of night-vision goggles and two night-vision scopes from a U.S. base in Bamberg, Germany.
Most cases involving "a Marine or soldier trying to take supplies or equipment (involve) … just one or two individuals trying to take advantage of the system," says Sharon Woods, head of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The bigger concern, according to Woods and other officials at the Pentagon and Justice Department, are cases in which agents for terrorist groups or criminal business enterprises have attempted to ship night-vision technology illegally to terrorist outfits or countries of concern, such as Iran and China. In some recent cases, foreigners have set up shell companies or shipped the equipment through multiple countries or third parties to mask its final destination.
"The real threat are these covert attempts to purchase it," says Steven Pelak, the Justice Department's export enforcement coordinator. "You see from these cases who's trying to get this stuff — Taliban, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, the Tamil Tigers (in Sri Lanka) — the list goes on, not to mention other nation states, the Chinese, the Iranian government, who want to obtain this equipment to gain an understanding of the technology" and copy it.
In a federal indictment unsealed this month, international arms dealer Viktor Bout was charged with trying to sell night-vision equipment and other military supplies to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), a U.S.-designated terrorist group. The indictment alleges that the equipment was to be used against U.S. forces fighting drug traffickers in Colombia.
In several other instances, U.S. authorities have thwarted illegal efforts to ship night-vision equipment to China and Taiwan
Foreign companies or governments may be seeking equipment they can "reverse engineer" and copy, says Charles Beardall, the Pentagon's deputy inspector general for investigations. The resulting products could be used militarily or sold commercially in an effort to grab market share from U.S. manufacturers.
The equipment being stolen and smuggled tends to be far more advanced than what's generally available on the open market. Rules restricting the sale and export of night-vision technology vary depending on its capabilities, according to the Commerce Department. One set of high-tech night-vision goggles used by the military can cost up to $4,500, Pentagon records show.
The most sensitive technology includes commercially unavailable features and often relies on special image enhancement tubes that amplify even the smallest light sources, Pentagon records show. In other cases, the devices detect heat, providing thermal images that help users see in a variety of conditions.
Protecting the night-vision advantage is becoming more difficult as more of the technology leaks out.
Last year, ITT, a top night-vision contractor for the Defense Department, admitted to sending restricted product data illegally to China, Singapore and the United Kingdom with the intent of outsourcing production. ITT paid a $100 million fine, which had a catch — the company must invest $50 million of the penalty in developing a new generation of night-vision technology.
In essence, U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said, "ITT will pay $50 million in restitution to the victims of their crimes — the American soldier."
May 15, 2008
Pg. 5
Night-vision devices in demand by Taliban
By Peter Eisler, USA Today
WASHINGTON — The e-mails, found on computer equipment seized from an accused terrorist supporter, detail items the Taliban wanted to use against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"What equipment do they need?" asks one message, described in a Justice Department affidavit filed as part of an ongoing effort to have Babar Ahmad extradited from Britain on charges of funneling money and supplies to the fighters. "Is there a (smuggling) route for equipment such as tents, torches, night vision?"
The response, according to the affidavit, uses the code words "Students" for Taliban members and "Arabs" for foreign fighters in Afghanistan. But there's nothing cryptic about its thrust: "Night visions are VERY important, as Students and Arabs, both are concentrating on the special covert operations."
The e-mail exchange, which includes other references to smuggling night-vision goggles via Pakistan, occurred at the end of 2001, soon after U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan. Since then, U.S. adversaries have been trying to get the equipment, which could erase a major tactical edge for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"It's considered an extremely sensitive technology because the highest generations of night vision are thought to give our troops a considerable advantage, to the point where we fight a significant portion of our battles at night," says Clif Burns, a Washington lawyer who specializes in export control issues. That, Burns says, makes the technology valuable to current and potential enemies.
Prosecutions for theft and smuggling of night-vision equipment have climbed steadily in recent years, and the Justice Department says the equipment leads all other categories of military technology for illegal purchases and exports.
A handful of those cases have involved U.S. military personnel or civilian defense workers stealing night-vision equipment from storage facilities and trying to pawn or sell it through eBay, Justice Department records show. In one of the biggest cases of theft from a military installation, Pentagon investigators recently announced a $10,000 reward for information on the disappearance of 34 sets of night-vision goggles and two night-vision scopes from a U.S. base in Bamberg, Germany.
Most cases involving "a Marine or soldier trying to take supplies or equipment (involve) … just one or two individuals trying to take advantage of the system," says Sharon Woods, head of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The bigger concern, according to Woods and other officials at the Pentagon and Justice Department, are cases in which agents for terrorist groups or criminal business enterprises have attempted to ship night-vision technology illegally to terrorist outfits or countries of concern, such as Iran and China. In some recent cases, foreigners have set up shell companies or shipped the equipment through multiple countries or third parties to mask its final destination.
"The real threat are these covert attempts to purchase it," says Steven Pelak, the Justice Department's export enforcement coordinator. "You see from these cases who's trying to get this stuff — Taliban, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, the Tamil Tigers (in Sri Lanka) — the list goes on, not to mention other nation states, the Chinese, the Iranian government, who want to obtain this equipment to gain an understanding of the technology" and copy it.
In a federal indictment unsealed this month, international arms dealer Viktor Bout was charged with trying to sell night-vision equipment and other military supplies to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), a U.S.-designated terrorist group. The indictment alleges that the equipment was to be used against U.S. forces fighting drug traffickers in Colombia.
In several other instances, U.S. authorities have thwarted illegal efforts to ship night-vision equipment to China and Taiwan
Foreign companies or governments may be seeking equipment they can "reverse engineer" and copy, says Charles Beardall, the Pentagon's deputy inspector general for investigations. The resulting products could be used militarily or sold commercially in an effort to grab market share from U.S. manufacturers.
The equipment being stolen and smuggled tends to be far more advanced than what's generally available on the open market. Rules restricting the sale and export of night-vision technology vary depending on its capabilities, according to the Commerce Department. One set of high-tech night-vision goggles used by the military can cost up to $4,500, Pentagon records show.
The most sensitive technology includes commercially unavailable features and often relies on special image enhancement tubes that amplify even the smallest light sources, Pentagon records show. In other cases, the devices detect heat, providing thermal images that help users see in a variety of conditions.
Protecting the night-vision advantage is becoming more difficult as more of the technology leaks out.
Last year, ITT, a top night-vision contractor for the Defense Department, admitted to sending restricted product data illegally to China, Singapore and the United Kingdom with the intent of outsourcing production. ITT paid a $100 million fine, which had a catch — the company must invest $50 million of the penalty in developing a new generation of night-vision technology.
In essence, U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said, "ITT will pay $50 million in restitution to the victims of their crimes — the American soldier."