>>Why Iraq's buying up
Sony PlayStation 2s
Intelligence experts fear games
bundled for military applications
By Joseph Farah
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com
Many American kids may be disappointed on
Christmas morning because the Sony
PlayStation 2 they wanted wound up in Iraq.
Both the U.S. Customs Service and the FBI are
investigating the apparent transfer of large
numbers of Sony PlayStation 2s to Iraq,
according to military intelligence sources.
A secret Defense Intelligence Agency report
states that as many as 4,000 of the popular video
game units have been purchased in the United
States and shipped to Iraq in the last two to
three months.
What gives? Does Saddam Hussein have an
extraordinarily long Christmas shopping list?
And why would U.S. military and intelligence
officials be concerned about such a transfer?
Two government agencies are investigating the
purchases because the PlayStations can be
bundled together into a sort of crude
super-computer and used for a variety of
military applications, say intelligence sources.
"Most Americans don't realize that each
PlayStation unit contains a CPU -- every bit as
powerful as the processor found in most
desktop and laptop computers," said one
military intelligence officer who declined to be
identified. "Beyond that, the graphics
capabilities of a PlayStation are staggering --
five times more powerful than that of a typical
graphics workstation, and roughly 15 times
more powerful than the graphics cards found in
most PCs."
A single PlayStation can generate up to 75
million polygons per second. Polygons, as
noted in the DIA report, are the basic units used
to generate the surface of 3-D models --
extremely useful in military design and
modeling applications.
"When I first saw this report, I was highly
skeptical," said an intelligence source. "So, I did
some checking with computer experts I know
within the Department of Defense. From what
they tell me, bundling these video game units is
very feasible."
Additionally, Sony will make the process even
easier with planned upgrades to the system.
Beginning early next year, you can purchase a
plug-in, 3.5 gig hard drive for the PlayStation,
along with interface units that allow integration
into the World Wide Web. If the Iraqis have
trouble developing military software for the
PlayStation computer system, they can probably
find needed assistance on the Internet, say U.S.
intelligence sources.
What could Iraq do with such a primitive
super-computer constructed with Sony
PlayStation 2s?
"Applications for this system are potentially
frightening," said an intelligence source. "One
expert I spoke with estimated that an integrated
bundle of 12-15 PlayStations could provide
enough computer power to control an Iraqi
unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV -- a pilotless
aircraft."
Iraq has been working on development of UAVs
for several years as a possible platform for
delivering chemical weapons, say intelligence
experts.
Bundled PlayStation computers could also be
used to calculate ballistic data for long-range
missiles, or in the design of nuclear weapons,
they add. Iraq has long had difficulty
calculating the potential yield of nuclear
devices -- a critical requirement in designing
such weapons. Networking these computers
might provide a method for correcting this
deficiency, said one intelligence source.
So, why doesn't Saddam Hussein simply buy
computers or workstations from friendly
nations or on the black market? While this is a
possibility, current United Nations sanctions
prohibit the sale or transfer of virtually all types
of computer hardware and technology to Iraq.
However, computer-based video game systems
-- like the PlayStation 2 -- are not included in the
ban. Iraq's scientists and engineers have
apparently found a convenient loophole in the
U.N. sanctions.
Defense experts say it is also relatively easy to
smuggle PlayStations into Iraq, since customs
inspectors don't view toys as potential military
weapons. Jordanian and Turkish inspectors
rarely examine "small" shipments under 100
pounds, making it possible to send large
numbers of PlayStations into Iraq without
arousing suspicion.
The Sony PlayStation 2 is one of the most
popular all-in-one home entertainment systems
of its kind. At just over 4 pounds, it contains a
300 MHz-driven, 128-bit CPU. In addition to a
plethora of new games designed to utilize
PlayStation 2's hardware, it can play games from
the original PlayStation's library, audio compact
discs and DVD movies.
Not only has Saddam Hussein apparently found
a creative way around the computer embargo,
he has helped to exacerbate the Sony
PlayStation 2 shortage reported in many parts of
the United States. eToys.com and other e-tailers
are sold out of the units and not expecting any
more shipments in time for Christmas.<<
worldnetdaily.com |
