What Woe >> Flood' of fake Chinese parts in U.S. military

Nothing really new there about 10 years ago it was bolts and screws. Spent months and tons of our money, inspecting equipment and replaceing them.
 
Look at the bright side guys; what the Senate considers counterfeit sub-standard Chinese parts is standard equipment in Chinese arsenal...:kilroy:
 
It's to be expected when everything you buy is from the lowest bidder. Lots of time in the Navy I had to make do with something cheap because they wouldn't spend the money for a better part/equipment.
 
Just a note - the link gets me a pop-up that I have to have an acct. ( for $0.99 for a 'trial') but that's like baggage charges on the airlines...

Back on topic...
Yes, when the free-enterprise system reaches it's peak of low-cost, best return it's impossible to have parts sourced in places with a high standard of living - hence the Far East supplies. Most businesses that are driven by the bottom line and run by bean-counters will care nothing of 'where', just 'how much' until the only sources are sweatshops, emerging third-worlders and other societies wanting to attain the "dream".

Of course, once they begin to acquire wealth, the prices will go up -- at some point we'll run out of impoverished populations willing to work at a subsistence level.. until we become one of those. Anyone else beginning to see a cycle developing?
 
i saw this same scenario on an episode of baa baa black sheep just last week. they just need to put sgt micklin on it. he'll get the right parts.
 
Is like our stupid cheap tools now in the Navy... stuff that is so far off of spec that it rounds off bolt heads/lock nuts. Let alone the fact that the stuff doesn't hold together for long either. I certaintly believe it though. Especially the way things are going now... As the motto goes "Do even more with even less!"
 
Roadburner440
Is like our stupid cheap tools now in the Navy... stuff that is so far off of spec that it rounds off bolt heads/lock nuts. Let alone the fact that the stuff doesn't hold together for long either. I certaintly believe it though. Especially the way things are going now... As the motto goes "Do even more with even less!"​
Click to expand...

It was just as bad in the Air Force got to the point where the Tech Order would specify that you had use a specific brand of wrench to remove or install certain nut, bolts and screws. This is what happens when purchase tools out of the "five N dime" bin down at Harbor Freight. We had torque wrenches that you ordered five or six at a time cause maybe out of the six, two would pass intial calibration, the rest were junk.
 
I recently applied for a job at a local machine shop that supplies driveshafts to the US Army for replacement parts. During the grand tour, my interviewer offered that all the sub-assemblies ( U-joints, geared ends, etc ) come from China. I was turned down for the job as they didn't want to spend the time to train me in the inspection process. I suggested they hire a Chinese worker.

Dick
 
This eludes to a deeper problem in this country, if we don't begin to manufactuer things here in the USA again, our economy will become more and more service oriented. Think of it this way, a great job will be working in Whatta Burger or Taco Bell, education will continue to fall in quality because you don't need it to run a cash register, wash cars, or perform simple assembly and nobody can afford it anyway. We will then become the largest third world nation on the face of the earth, provideing a labor force for the rest of the world, to be farmed out by Wall Street Tycons, and their bought Washington Lackeys. Yes bought, a Super Pac Fund is nothing but a way to legally by power. The one great flaw in any form of goverment be it Democracy or Communism is "GREED" the need to make a profit no matter what the toll be it God, Country, Soul, or Human. Just think about it, right now there are only two things our elected officials in Washington can agree upon, I bet they get a raise, and they won't raise taxes on the rich, "How could you bite the hand that feeds you, or for that matter raise taxes on yourself". I have some friends who think we are going to war with China one day, I tell them if it happens it won't last long they got all the spare parts, besides why blow-up or fight for something you already own bought and payed for.
 
:eek:)

Don't go to war with China.
It will end up with them getting more North American jobs and selling us back better cars just like Germany and Japan did.
 
Torque wrenches are a whole other subject.. I am suprised that 2 would even pass. They always have to go in for recalibration. Not sure how familiar you are with feeler gauges, but it has gotten so bad now with our feeler gauges (the metal leaf type) that those must now be checked for calibration once a year as well. Cause there has been a couple mishaps in recent memory that has been triggered because the little metal leaf was the wrong thickness. I agree we need to make stuff in the states again. My current car is over 40% US parts content, and assembled in the US. It is actually the best car I have owned in a long time. To bad it is not 90% or higher though, but almost half is I think better than most these days.
 
We talk here about cheapest bidder, I worked Munitions and Weapons, my entire 30 years I was in the Air Force, everthing but EOD. I remember when the Air Force had 45s before we went to current 9mm. All our 45 ammo came from Isreal because they were the lowest bidder. When we would issue it we'd tell the guys hey direct to you from Tel Aviv and be assured ever lot has been combat tested under live conditions, nothing but the best for our boys and girls. Again this is nothing that hasn't gone on before (the air raid sirens at Pearl Harbor were made in Japan and the bombs the Japanese drop were made from scrap US iron and steel), however I don' think it has ever come close to the economic suicide that is taking place right now. The vast majority of people who are not working now will in all likely hood will never see a good paying job again. And it's not just the good old USA, any one notice the story a week or so ago about the British having a new Destroyer built in a Chinese shipyard, in China, Britania don't rule them waves no more brother! We don't produce anything here, no steel, less and less oil, all we do is process, service, and assemble, and we do less and less of that every year. It's a very sad time we live in very sad. It was nice while it lasted and enjoy it while it's here, cause like the Roman Empire we are on the downhill slide.
 
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