INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Blue Lantern Site Visit to Wb Electronics Post

Published: Thu 6 Nov 2008 11:44 AM
VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHWR #1278 3111144
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061144Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7270
UNCLAS WARSAW 001278
SIPDIS
DTC FOR WATKINS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC PL
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN SITE VISIT TO WB ELECTRONICS POST
SHIPMENT CHECK ON LICENSE 050101261
REF: STATE 92512
1. SUMMARY: Staff from Embassy Warsaw, including Political
Officer Duncan Walker, DHS/ICE official Glenn Spindel, and
ODC representative Lt. Marek Strosin, accompanied Blue
Lantern team on site visit to WB Electronics (WBE). Team met
with WBE representative Justyna Dytrych who verified order,
provided background information on export request and
business operations, and facilitated team,s inspection of
warehouse where the presence of 108 military radios was
visually confirmed. Based on verification of order and
documentation establishing Polish MOD as final end user, team
was confident that WBE is a reliable recipient of USML items.
2. Blue Lantern team visited WBE as part of its larger
outreach visit to Poland. The objective of the team,s site
visit was to verify the bona fides of WBE, confirm its
receipt of Harris military radios exported on license
050101261, and verify its relationship with the Poland
Ministry of Defense (MOD).
3. WBE representative explained that WBE,s main business
was to purchase parts and components for its military
clients. It also does a smaller business in integrating such
items into larger systems. Most of WBE,s clients are
military end users, including the Polish Army, Swedish Army,
Hungarian Army, and Indian Army. WBE does not do business
with any proscribed countries and expressed familiarity with
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) governing
the use of U.S.-origin defense articles and technology.
4. With this order, WBE confirmed that it ordered 153 radios
from Harris and that it has received 108 to date. WBE
provided documentation from the Polish MOD, a clear purchase
order establishing its need for the items in question. The
radios will be used in the Polish Army,s Armored Personnel
Carrier Vehicles (APCV) for communication purposes. The
radios will assist in NATO inter-operability during ultimate
mission in Afghanistan. In this case, WBE will not provide
integration services; it is only acting as a purchaser for
the Polish Army which will outfit the radios onto the
vehicles.
5. WBE allowed Blue Lantern team to access the warehouse and
visually confirm receipt of radios from Harris Corporation in
the United States. The warehouse was a secure facility, with
limited entry, requiring badge/key to access and guarded with
cameras and security personnel. The radios were still stored
in boxes displaying shipping information clearly marking them
as originating from Harris Corporation in the U.S. The team
viewed the radios in the open boxes and confirmed that the
items matched description on license application.
6. As a result of site visit to WBE, the Blue Lantern team
is confident that WBE is a reliable recipient of
ITAR-controlled items, is familiar with requirement banning
re-export or retransfer of items without prior approval, and
that the export of 153 military radios is a legitimate
transaction.
ASHE
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