Defense Contractors

Companies and nations from all over the world turn to American defense contractors big and small for the weapons they need to fight terrorism and suppress invaders. While most defense contractors are noble, hardworking and legal, not all of them are as honest and upfront as they ought to be. This is why there are certain legal protections within the industry in order to give whistleblowers the protection necessary to come out and report impropriety on behalf of their employer.

Whistleblower Protection

It is estimated that the American government wastes billions of dollars per year due to fraud on behalf of defense contractors. Considering the extremely high cost of the modern American army, it is easily understandable how one company who sells an inferior part or offers an inferior price can cost the government millions of dollars in a single mistake. The large number of components and companies responsible for national defense means that it is impossible for regulators to watch all of them, and all too often defective parts and poor prices are not discovered until after the fact. This is why American law has special exemptions for whistleblowers, and why those who report impropriety on behalf of defense contractors are often entitled to substantial sums of money if the information they provide leads to a conviction.

Contractor Price Inflation

The most common form of fraud committed by defense contractors is price inflation. Many persons who advocate for lower taxes and more sensible budgets are quick to point out that certain types of military hardware are unusually expensive. While this is usually because they must be constructed with exceptional quality in order to survive battlefield conditions, sometimes it is because a contractor has artificially inflated the price. While all defense contractors are entitled to a profit in exchange for the hardware they provide, many less than moral contractors feel no guilt about charging the American taxpayer much more than a fair price. Whistleblowers who observe that certain items are being sold for many times their true asking price should contact their lawyers and consider blowing the whistle, since this is not only good for the American military, it is good for the American taxpayer.

Failure to Meet Quality Standards

Another common problem is that inferior parts or materials are used in an item, thus rendering it useless on the battlefield. Nothing is more annoying, and potentially dangerous, than a piece of defective battlefield equipment. Many soldiers will tell angry stories of how their guns or radios failed them when they were needed most, and how this failure resulted in needless death and destruction. As such, there is nothing a defense contractor whistleblower can do than report that their employer is using defective components, substituting cheap materials, or failing to meet established quality standards. While difficult to attain, those quality standards exist to protect the lives of American troops and are extremely important.

Whistleblower Obligation

Most cases of fraud in the defense contractor industry are found by whistleblowers, not federal authorities. Federal auditors simply cannot be enough places at the same time, and often they do not have the technical knowledge necessary to spot a bad price or a piece of inferior metal. Defense contractor whistleblowers help to keep the industry honest, and anyone who believes they may need to do so should seek out legal advice and consider handing over evidence to the proper authorities. Not only will they be helping out the country and the taxpayer and saving lives, they may even be entitled to a reward.