The Threat of Counterfeit Electronics to the Viability of the U.S. Air Force

Download or read book The Threat of Counterfeit Electronics to the Viability of the U.S. Air Force written by Joshua I. Tolk and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This research paper examines the threat counterfeit electronics represent to the United States Air Force (USAF) maintaining superiority in the air, space, and cyber domains. By analyzing how the counterfeit electronics trade substantially emanates in China, the global criminality that surrounds it, and the ways they are subsequently introduced into USAF supply chains, I illuminate where the vulnerabilities in USAF procurement processes lie and how pervasive this epidemic truly is. This is accomplished by providing two case studies that highlight how easy it was for two criminally culpable companies to buy counterfeit electronics from China and sell them into the USAF and Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain, making millions of illicit dollars for years while committing this fraud. Data was collected from public records, published government and industry reporting, periodicals, and open source federal contracting databases. This research describes how current and proposed measures and policies by the USAF and DoD to detect and prevent counterfeit electronics are widely inadequate, due to the ubiquitous and insidious nature of the global counterfeit electronics market. As this study will convey, the only measure that provides a permanent solution to counter this threat is for law enforcement to bring to justice the individuals and companies who criminally, by knowledge or negligence, sell these imitation parts to the USAF, and place airmen and systems across all Commands at grave risk."--Abstract.