The General Accountability Office (GAO) reported that DoD is unable to determine what counterfeit parts exist in the defense supply chain.  GAO blames this deficiency on the lack of a DoD-wide policy to detect or prevent the use of counterfeit parts.  As a result, according to GAO, there is no standard definition of “counterfeit” or any consistent way for organizations to identify the existence of counterfeit parts.  While there are some databases that try to track deficient parts, only one specifically addresses “counterfeit” parts.  However, reporting in this system is said to be too low to be helpful.  The reliability risks of weapon systems caused by counterfeit parts are increased by the global nature of the DoD supply chain, which makes visibility and detection much more difficult.  GAO recommended that DoD develop a department-wide definition and process for detecting, reporting, and disposing of counterfeit parts.  It urged DoD to collaborate with private sector entities and other government agencies who have taken actions to deal with this problem.  This course of action is strongly supported by members in Congress who have been highly critical of DOD’s inability to address this supply chain deficiency.