How Is This Not Treason?

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

I guess they don't really charge people with that anymore? Sailor takes a photo in a sub, they go to jail. Big military contractor corp sends diagrams of a $1.5t program fighter and others to China and other countries? A mere $8 million fine paid over a 2 year span... for a company that NETS over $6 BILLION a year... and they'll go right on getting more government contracts somehow.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/us-fines-honeywell-2413-million-for-unauthorized-export-of-defense-manufacturing-layouts-to-china/ar-BB1gnQe2?ocid=uxbndlbing

Quote:The US State Department said it has settled an "administrative settlement" with Honeywell International to resolve alleged violations of the Arms Export Control Act.

The Department said Honeywell engaged in "unauthorized exports and retransfers of ITAR-controlled technical data that contained engineering prints showing dimensions, geometries, and layouts for manufacturing castings and finished parts for multiple aircraft, gas turbine engines, and military electronics to and/or within Canada, Ireland, Mexico, the People’s Republic of China, and Taiwan."

Honeywell will pay a civil penalty of $13 million, the State Department announced. The alleged violations took place from 2011 to 2015 and in 2018 when the companies Aerospace business was asking parts suppliers for price quotes.

The drawings allegedly showed engine parts for the F-22 and F-35 fighters, B-1B bomber, and CTS800 helicopter engine which according to the State Department “harmed US national security”.

According to the State Department statement, it agreed to suspend $5 million of this amount on the condition that the funds will be used for Department-approved "Consent Agreement" for which an external special compliance officer will be engaged by Honeywell to oversee the Consent Agreement for a period of 18 months.

Honeywell voluntarily disclosed to the Department the alleged violations that are resolved under this settlement, it said, adding, "Honeywell also acknowledged the serious nature of the alleged violations, cooperated with the Department’s review, and instituted a number of compliance program improvements during the course of the Department’s review."

"For these reasons, the Department has determined that it is not appropriate to administratively debar Honeywell at this time."

Honeywell, however, said that its “designs were inadvertently shared during normal business discussions” and technical information “was assessed as having an impact on national security”, it is “commercially available throughout the world”, it said. “No detailed manufacturing or engineering expertise was shared," the company declared.

The US State Department lauded Honeywell for voluntarily reporting the alleged violations and cooperating with the review process and improving its export control compliance programme.

[*michaelsean*]

Treason involves aid and comfort to an enemy which has been defined as a country we are actually at war with. They shouldn’t ever get another contract though.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(05-05-2021, 10:05 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Treason involves aid and comfort to an enemy which has been defined as a country we are actually at war with. They shouldn’t ever get another contract though.

This on both counts.

[NATI BENGALS]

They self reported what now?

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(05-05-2021, 10:40 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: They self reported what now?

Only after doing it for at least 6 years over a 8 year span... that we know about.

[CJD]

If the penalty for violating a law is only a fine, then it's essentially only a law for poor people.

I know that there have been banks that treated (and may still treat) fines from the government for unethical practices as just the cost of doing business. If committing a crime with only a fine as a penalty generates more revenue than the cost of the fine, companies will still do those crimes.

Especially since they would only owe the fine if they are caught.

Look at the housing market crash and financial crisis of 2008. Billions of dollars in fines, but what...1 person was sentenced to prison in America?

You can't hold companies accountable to the law until you start holding the owners and decision makers of those companies responsible as well.

Hopefully, we at least never give this company a contract ever again.

[Dill]

(05-05-2021, 07:45 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I guess they don't really charge people with that anymore? Sailor takes a photo in a sub, they go to jail. Big military contractor corp sends diagrams of a $1.5t program fighter and others to China and other countries? A mere $8 million fine paid over a 2 year span... for a company that NETS over $6 BILLION a year... and they'll go right on getting more government contracts somehow.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/us-fines-honeywell-2413-million-for-unauthorized-export-of-defense-manufacturing-layouts-to-china/ar-BB1gnQe2?ocid=uxbndlbing

Actually, I see more clarity in the case of the Sailor.  

I am bothered if the gov doesn't look more closely at possible espionage, but couldn't this just be a stupid error of a kind that commonly occurs with a lot of people with design/engineering jobs working together on tasks where oversight becomes tedious and slows work? 

Also this may depend somewhat on the worker/manager awareness. How "civilian" are they? Never been in the military? Never been on that sub? Possibly not thinking op sec at all, even if they've watched the videos and gotten the clearances. 

Submariner knows very well where he's not supposed to be taking pictures.