How Weapons Secrets Often Fall Into Enemy Hands

Follow the money. What happens when our "adversaries" gain access to advanced technologies? Our standard response has been to spend more money developing even more advanced technologies. It is a win-win for those who design and build instruments of war.

Our president turns them over!

Given the issues which seem to constantly dog the F-35 (https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2019/06/the-f-35-and-the-captured-state/), perhaps the project is, in fact, designed to, little-by-little, fall into the hands of so-called adversaries, whom, it is believed, will bankrupt themselves trying to make their reverse-engineered copies work ?... Henri

That is the folly of America's mega defense budget. Other countries will find out and even when they won't get direct access they will find ways to copy the idea. Much of those arms will be outdated by the time they are being used. And they may turn out to ineffective anyway: their specs have never been tested in a real fight and are often the product of bureaucratic fights. It would be a much smarter strategy to focus on capacity building. But of course nothing will help when you have adopted the impossible goal of world rule.

And, as reported previously, China already hacked some of the F-35 plans. But it is not clear F-35 is really even meant as a weapon so much as it is simply the ultimate pork-barrel project. Technically legal money laundering operation of hard-earned US tax dollars to Lockheed executives & re-laundered back to politicians as campaign donations. A screw manufactured in one Democratic congressional district; seat cushion in another district; part of jet engine in some GOP congressional district, spread across all 50 states to ensure bipartisan buy-in and "too big to fail" status. "Scandal and a tragedy," in John McCain's words. It was, of course, Obama-Biden Pentagon that infamously submitted to political pressure from fellow Democrat, Senator Patrick Leahy, & forced the US Air Force to abandon its initial low ranking of civilian commercial airport in Burlington, Vermont as basing destination for F-35. Under Leahy's pressure, Obama-Biden's politically appointed higher-ups at Air Force decided to overrule the initial ranking of Burlington as dead-last, behind McEntire Guard Base in rural Richland County, South Carolina; and behind Jacksonville, Florida. So now the F-35, compromised by design, & loudest fighter jet ever built (4X louder than already very loud F-16), is coming to Vermont's most densely populated area. Military Keynesianism uber alles, regardless of negative impact on health & home values of demographics Democrats pretend to care about.

Don't forget the constant inflow of US technology to the Soviet Union during the Vietnam war. B-52G, F-111, drones, etc., in somewhat battered condition. But no doubt the Soviets reaped a windfall.

You failed to mention the USS Pueblo. Almost all of the US secret communication equipment was lost.

Channels abound for sure. Trump sold weapons to Saudi Arabia just a month ago just like the CIA trained/funded UBLaden. Weapons are useless if they are not used, and tested live in a war or a proxy war. And they are even more useless if you can't any money out them. Defense and business. You make money out the weapons you manufacture like Hollywood does with its movies. Then countries like the US which built their power and reputation on military excellence have two ways not to to stock weapons for ever: 1/ create a war and use the weapons. 2/ Sell the weapons to other entities, friends or future Q: How weapons fall on enemy hands? A: it's the law of the market.

It can be said that this is how inferior countries survive, by stealing secrets from their adversaries. Case in point, China and Russia, and every other dictatorship. Keeping your thumb on the populace steals away resources that could be used to improve your society. This is why these two countries, as an example, will never be able to dominate the US technologically. The US, by not needing to control its people by micromanagement, gives its people the freedom to create. Therefore, an argument can be made that the US need not do anything except maintain a minimal army if it can keep its secrets unto itself. Which of course, it can’t. US: save yourself a boatload of money, keep your secrets. More to the point, tell the Business Community to do the same.

simple solution: stop making overpriced weapons, focus on defense, not "foreign entanglements." Last 100 years, major attacks on US were 9/11, by boxcutters (terrorist response to US involvement and troops in mideast.) And Pearl Harbor. But now a major invasion by Japan, China or Russia is impossible in nuclear age (and that cat got out of the bag.)

Raytheon sharing its smart bomb technology with Saudi Arabia is dangerous as this country produced the hijackers who knocked down the World Trade Center. Raytheon merging with United Technology defense biz could lead to advanced fighter jets produced in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has Jared Kushner in the White House who negotiated a discount for MSB with Lockheed directly leaving out the Pentagon and congress. Trump ,Kushner, McCONNELL with Barr running cover are cashing in on the presidency and Sec of Transportation Ms. Chao , wife of McConnell cashing in on her family in China. The most corrupt administration in history who are busy selling out America to the highest bidder counting on Russia to re-elect their puppet Trump.

Just imagine what America would be like if we didn't waste so much of our fortune on weapons and war. Unfortunately, our destructive "inventions" for killing and spying are always copied and adopted around the globe. Just imagine what the whole world could be like, if America didn't lead the world in weaponry, spying, etc. but instead lead the world in improving humanity, society and the environment. America has spent more money on the military and on war than all other nations combined -- in all of world history. A phenomenal waste of national fortunes that continues to this day. And it's not just money that's been wasted. The brain power that has been wasted developing military systems could have been applied to solving so many other pressing problems. I'm not holding my breath for America to change these tragic behaviors. Sadly.

The Chinese have a much easier task and likely already have all the information they need on the F-35 - cheaply, efficiently and staying dry - by hacking Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney and others. All without the effort and wetness of dipping a toe in the water looking for a destroyed submerged aircraft ... somewhere under a massive ocean. No reverse engineering required. I echo @Zdude's comment on Israel by adding Saudi Arabia, now getting American weapon components for assembly in Saudi Arabia - and diversion to America's adversaries too. Thanks to trump-Jared ignoring Congress and our national security. What's the point of reverse engineering if you can get a steady supply from your eventual victim?

Here's one of the most egregious examples - the Canadian subsidiary of of United Technologies sold military helicopter technology to China and got off with a $75-million fine. No one was punished. Pratt & Whitney Canada Guilty in Chinese Helicopter Case https://nyti.ms/LTRWJB

Even more simple is the selling of weapons of our allies to China. For one, Israel which recently received the F-35 possesses a robust global trade of Israeli weapons to technology. Israel's number one customer? China. To think that Israel possessing the latest of US weapons technology (V-22 rotor-tilt aircraft, Patriot anti-aircraft/anti-missile) and not harvesting that technology for their own weapons and subsequent trade with clients like China is simply delusional.

I got a feeling that collusion or whatever will pale if we do a really close investigation of some of Trump's many appointees. He admits calling Putin on cell phones with no monitors so who knows what goes on