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Maine Delegation Raises Questions About Computer Division's Sale to Chinese

WASHINGTON - Last fall, one of the nation’s top computer makers won approval from the federal government to sell one of its divisions to a Chinese company. The sale is raising concerns among members of Maine’s congressional delegation. That's because it involves a division that makes computers critical for national defense, including weapons systems on warships built at Bath Iron Works.

Last fall, Hewlett - Packard, one of the nation’s largest computer companies, was granted federal approval to sell its server division to a Chinese company. Servers are complex pieces of computer hardware used in the manufacture of missiles, radar and navigation systems.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she can’t understand how federal officials would approve such a deal. "The idea that an American computer firm would be allowed to sell an important subsidiary that’s doing business with the Department of Defense to China is just inconceivable to me."

Sharing Collins’ outrage is 2nd District Republican Congressman Bruce Poliquin, who says it's clear that China has long been testing the cyber defenses of the United States military. "We cannot have any kind of opportunity for the Chinese or any other foreign government to be involved in our defense capabilities here at home."

First District Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, says current federal law restricts purchases of military weapons and systems from U.S. companies. Pingree says she is troubled that the review process seems to have failed, since it did not determine that the computer hardware division was supplying crucial components to the Defense Department.

"You can’t sell all of your great assets to China and then think, 'Well, we can go find another American company when they don’t exist anymore,' " Pingree says. "So, we could write more legislation, but I think this is one where it shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

Sen. Angus King, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says the computer sale is indicative of a much bigger problem lawmakers need to address. He says with fewer manufacturers in the United States and with many of them utilizing components from other countries, the "made in America" initiative might not be enough.

"A server is a big, obvious case of it, but what about a bolt that is designed to fail in a certain situation that’s in a tank?" King says. "It could be anything. And, frankly, I know the Pentagon is paying attention to this issue - it’s called the supply chain issue but - I don’t think its fully resolved, by any means."

Meanwhile, legislation aimed at bolstering the defense of the United States against cyber attacks and cyber sabotage has once again been delayed. Congress is on vacation until after Labor Day.

 

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.