When I first read the post, I found it odd. As I spent months trying to buy a 0450 fully fit-out, or a vendor who would fit out to my spec, and/or cut the foam. No one would, all vendors said DOD only. The push-back I got from vendors was that mil spec pre-cut and loaded tool kits by contract could not be sold to civilians-period. They couldn't even sell just the pre-cut foam, it was DOD technology. Thus we had to spend hours cutting our own foam. Now that was 3 years ago, and things can change, I hope the case didn't fall off the back of a truck and end up illegally in civilian hands.
Your venders had no clue what they were talking about, and were too lazy to figure out how to get them. With the exception of weaponry, everything else can be legally obtained including thermal imaging, night vision. Alot of things are not allowed out the country under any conditions, and some require quite the background check and purpose info. You get the point though. As for issued equipment being sold it's common place and written off long before anyone deploys, so if anyone's unit didn't have what it needed, which is always the case, it's not because it was issued to someone and they sold it. It's because someone in the unit "CO/S4" didn't do what it took to acquire the items. So lighten up and next time get in on the action, I know some guys that sold armor for $300 a plate, during refit overseas damaged plates arent usually collected they just give you new ones. If S4 wants them it's to store them in hopes of having a stockpile to sell when they get back. Being friends with the guy in charge pays literally
