No, it goes like this, as often observed in the non-military procurement chain, now (not surprisingly) being seen in cots programs etc:
Chinese contract manufacturers produce wafers for parts from "fabless" manufacturers from their masks.
They may make 100 thousand or easily as many as 500 thousand extra parts accidentally when a PO was canceled.
When scrapping those parts, they walk out the back door to someone's wive's brother's dad's distribution company in Taiwan or Singapore.
So far, it's one legit company doing contract work for one OEM, and one sleight of hand from a shady dude thrice removed.
--back to Justa's flow-- US purchases from US GSA-approved vendor. GSA approved vendor outsources parts manufacturing to licensed manufactures in other countries. The licensed manufacturers orders some component chips from suppliers who blend in "Chinese counterfeit" chips for remarkable price reductions. The counterfeit chips are fronted by legitimate manufacturers offering components to these ~specific~ buyers at too-good-to-be-true pricing. Identical counterfeit parts are now the GSA-approved product. --back out--
And that is one way how an industrious chinese con-men sell perfectly good parts (that would've otherwise been thrown away) inside classified US systems.
See? No chinese PLA 007's, car chases, involved or espionage mind control heat rays required!!!
This happens all the time, and it ought to be costing the OEM's billions. But in many cases the parts were overbuilt because they were EOL'd and the OEM wouldn't have made any money off the scrapped parts anyhow.
"PLA Bots" are not in resistors and capacitors, and anyway, the former has not been found or reported, the latter HAS BEEN FOUND and REPORTED, and thus, Occam prefers the latter.
Imagine how many unknown surreptitious functions could be integrated into the keyword you’re using right now.
What about the scantily clad super-models with low moral standards? Are you telling me that those too, are a farce? < /sarcasm>
There is a conspiracy behind every brush, bottle cap and piece of belly button lint.
Not worried about capacitors, resistors, etc. Just processors.
I’m sure you are right. But it is still a security issue to leave the US dependent on foreign processors.
Nice response!
Also, don’t forget where instead accidentally have extra components, the factory works off shifts to produce components for the same relative but with their own companies name. They will cut corners on testing end end up with partially functional ships that fail later.
I assembly boards and it is so annoying to find them after assembly and usually during test.