WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The White House should have conducted a more thorough review before allowing United States technology firms to sell high-speed computers to Russia, China, India and countries in the Middle East, according to a congressional report released on Monday.
The Bush administration relied too heavily on the opinions of computer makers and did not adequately consider national security issues when it eased Cold War-era restrictions on supercomputer exports last January, the report said, enabling "countries of concern" to more easily design advanced nuclear weapons, aircraft and other weapons.
Congress may need to step in to ensure that the government is thinking through the issue thoroughly, said the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigative arm.
"Since the report's conclusions are based on inadequate information provided by the computer industry and an inadequate assessment of national security issues, the decision to raise the export control threshold is analytically weak and appears to be premature, given market conditions," the report said.
The Commerce and State departments, which were involved in the review, disagreed with the report. The Defense Department said it was reviewing the matter.
The Senate passed a bill last year that would have effectively removed the speed limits, but House Armed Services Committee, newly concerned about national security after September 11, approved a bill in March that would strengthen these requirements.
The U.S. government has since 1979 sought to limit the sale of supercomputers capable of complex three-dimensional modeling, calculating fluid dynamics and other advanced applications in an attempt to slow the spread of nuclear arms.
Manufacturers need to get U.S. permission before selling supercomputers to a group of nations, which includes Pakistan, Israel and Vietnam.
GWB protecting Americans worldwide, yeah right. try: Lining his buddy's pockets at our expense!
The Bush administration relied too heavily on the opinions of computer makers and did not adequately consider national security issues when it eased Cold War-era restrictions on supercomputer exports last January, the report said, enabling "countries of concern" to more easily design advanced nuclear weapons, aircraft and other weapons.
Congress may need to step in to ensure that the government is thinking through the issue thoroughly, said the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigative arm.
"Since the report's conclusions are based on inadequate information provided by the computer industry and an inadequate assessment of national security issues, the decision to raise the export control threshold is analytically weak and appears to be premature, given market conditions," the report said.
The Commerce and State departments, which were involved in the review, disagreed with the report. The Defense Department said it was reviewing the matter.
The Senate passed a bill last year that would have effectively removed the speed limits, but House Armed Services Committee, newly concerned about national security after September 11, approved a bill in March that would strengthen these requirements.
The U.S. government has since 1979 sought to limit the sale of supercomputers capable of complex three-dimensional modeling, calculating fluid dynamics and other advanced applications in an attempt to slow the spread of nuclear arms.
Manufacturers need to get U.S. permission before selling supercomputers to a group of nations, which includes Pakistan, Israel and Vietnam.
GWB protecting Americans worldwide, yeah right. try: Lining his buddy's pockets at our expense!
