US may buy military equipment from Taiwan: report

[cthrumatrix]

US may buy military equipment from Taiwan: report

9 minutes ago Politics - AFP



TAIPEI (AFP) - The United States is considering purchasing military equipment from Taiwan as the Pentagon (news - web sites) seeks to reduce costs by diversifying its sources of arms supplies, it was reported.


A group organized by the Comparative Testing Office (CTO) of the US Department of Defense (news - web sites) is scheduled to arrive in Taipei Saturday to evaluate the island's capability of supplying the equipment, the United Daily News said.


The trip will come as the US Department of Defense seeks to increase its procurement of military equipment from Asia Pacific, where the manufacturing cost is only one-third to one-fifth of that of the United States, it said.

snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&ncid=731&e=3&u=/afp/20050228/pl_afp/taiwanusmilitary

Why can't they "reduce costs" like this when it comes to pharmaceuticals puchases..??????????????????????

[Renew Deal]

1. China's gonna love that.

I wonder if China should try to bar us from the G8 summit or some dumb shit like that.

[okoboji]

2. so.... yet more U.S. jobs going overseas

The trip will come as the US Department of Defense seeks to increase its procurement of military equipment from Asia Pacific, where the manufacturing cost is only one-third to one-fifth of that of the United States, it said."

[tanyev]

3. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but wouldn't the best interest of our national security be to manufacture everything here? What happens if there is a World War and we can't get shipments from halfway around the world? Do they think of these things? I've also thought this about computer chips. It may be much cheaper to make them overseas, but it is very, very shortsighted.

[Tesha]

7. Such "TwenCen" thinking!

> Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the best interest of our
> national security be to manufacture everything here?

That's just such "TwenCen" thinking talking! Here in the brave new world
of the future, we can buy our bullets from the very same people we're
planning to shoot them at, because it all means more profits for Milo
Minderbinder Enterprises, err, I mean Omni Consumer Products! The
time of the nation-state is over; nowadays, it's the Corporate State
over all!

Tesha

[radar]

20. Hehe - The Robocop reference...

...We're almost there with the repubs in charge.

Omni Consumer Products - OCP...
http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/robocop/robocopocp.htm

[liberal N proud]

4. All I can say is WTF!

:wtf:
Too mad to think of anything else.

[TheFarseer]

5. All I can say is if we have to fight WWIII

and all our equiptment is made overseas, we will be out of equptment in a very short time. That is fine for a war like Iraq where no one is trying to cut our supply lines, but that will never work for a full-scale war. There is something to that saying, "peace through strength" and when we present a glaring weakness like the inablility to produce military equiptment at home, that is a glaring weakness and an invitation for a serious war to be launched on us IMO. The "diversifying" is absolute garbage. You deversify to eliminate risk. There is no risk in producing equiptment within your borders. And for another thing - when has the military ever been into saving money?!?!?! This is so transparently to jack up corporate profits I can't stand it.

[Tesha]

8. WWIII's only going to last about 30 minutes anyway.

> All I can say is if we have to fight WWIII and all our equipment is
> made overseas, we will be out of equptment in a very short time.

It's okay; WWIII's only going to last about 30 minutes anyway.
No matter what happens, when the chips are down in a full-scale
shooting war, our Coward in Chief will have a very hard time
not going nuclear. And that phase will last only as long as it
takes for the "respondents" (no matter which side it is) to decide
that an ICBM volley is incoming and decide to launch their response.

(Remember, we've never disavowed "Launch on Warning".)

As Einstein said: "I know not with what weapons World War III
will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and
stones."

Tesha

[TheFarseer]

11. You can't think like that

It is a very real possibility but you've got to be ready for a conventional war or at least have the capacity to get ready in a short amount of time. If you really do think like that, then I assume you are leading the charge in favor of Star Wars?

edited to clarify

[Tesha]

19. Why? What would Star Wars do?

Ballistic missiles can *ALWAYS* overcome ballistic missile defense systems. Only one (say) 100kt warhead has to get through the defenses
to really ruin your whole day.

Tesha

[shadowknows69]

13. I'm at the point of insanity

that I just wish we'd get it over with.

[cthrumatrix]

10. don't forget we requested to "quadrouple" our ammunition bulid in January

of this year....I wonder why?

[sarcasmo]

6. The fall of an Empire. When you start buying your weapons from

other Nations the only thing to come out of this is demise. When China comes here for Regime change in 08 remember that we outsourced our weapons makers. Outsourcing our soldiers will be next.

[drummer55]

18. isnt that already happening with our mercernaries? er.."contractors" n/t

[Lone Pawn]

21. Well, since China buys all of its arms tech from other nations,

And since we've been cooperating with England on tech for decades, I think that's not reason for a threat.

[Kimber Scott]

9. Why is it so hard to buy American? Instead, we outsource even our

war-mongering. Who will be surprised when the "big one" comes and we can't defend ourselves because the countries who supply our armies have allied with the "other side?"

I really don't get these people. Their thinking is so convoluted. If it's all about money, (cheap labor), why don't they just sell us up the river now and get it over with? God forbid they give an American a job.

[diatribal]

12. Oh, great.

All the tanks will be made of cheap plastic, break really quick, and have manuals that are really hard to read. "Thank you for the buying of super happy lucky tank! Pleasing to point tank only at foe, ensuring many happy booming!"

[shadowknows69]

14. roflmao

thanks for a little laughter in an otherwise apocalyptic thread.

[solinvictus]

15. Agggghhh!

It's like the instructions printed on chopstick wrappers.

[solinvictus]

16. Super Happy Lucky Tank!

Super Happy Lucky Tank not cause shame to ancestor and increase manhood.

[diatribal]

17. CAUTION!

Please to be taking care during insertion and exertion of battery.

[Lone Pawn]

22. Warning!

Welcome to Tank! Tank is not for the pointing of at the friends. For firing, please press button at enemy. Before the firing, be sure loading well the shell, for good result. Do not use tanks inside. Not for small children. In case of breaking, please to ring engineers on complaining telephone. Always being careful when using Tank.

[blackspade]

23. this is such crap

There is no way in hell our military should be supplied by other county's vendors.
Talk about a national security issue!
I know we already do this to some extent but it is crazy!

Bring our jobs home!