Out of tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow – and out of ham-fisted attempts to replace old copper wiring with fiber optic cables at a remote Federal Aviation Administration site might have come a telecoms disaster that managed to shut down US airspace entirely.
uncertain
that → grow → airspace
That was the astonishing revelation from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Saturday as he explained how a router overloaded the FAA system, snarling up air traffic control and causing a ground stop that stranded thousands of travelers.
asserted
that → explain → travelers
Secretary Duffy said FAA investigators are working to determine if 'operator error' or a faulty router caused the catastrophic mishap which resulted in 20,000 disrupted flights.
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which → say → flights
'We're working to determine whether we had incompetence, meaning was it user error or installer error from L3Harris, or did they install a faulty router?
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they → work → router
We haven't determined what the fault was,' Duffy said.
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Duffy → determine → ?
'We need L3Harris or whoever provided that router to us to do a better job.'
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whoever → need → job
L3Harris said it was 'supporting the FAA in its investigation to understand the conditions that led to the Nov. 13 ground stop of our nation's air travel.'
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that → say → travel
However, Duffy's admission that the 'legacy provider' that was carrying out the work was major federal defense contractor L3Harris may not surprise anyone who is acquainted with the company's extensive history of controversies and scandals.
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who → carry → controversies
From a company insider selling hacking tools to Russia and company bosses supposedly trying to buy a notorious Israeli spyware maker through to the business having to pay a $13 million settlement over more than 130 export-control alleged violations, the tech conglomerate certainly has what seems to be a colorful history.
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what → sell → violations
Sean Duffy's admission that the 'legacy provider' that was carrying out the work was L3Harris may not surprise anyone
The major federal defense contractor has an extensive history of controversies
And just days after Nvidia boss Jensen Huang resigned from the computer chip giant over a string of extra-marital affairs that reportedly included two with company subordinates, it's surely a little ironic that the last firestorm to hit L3Harris came only three months ago when CEO Chris Kubasik stepped down after allegations about his inappropriate relationship with one of his own underlings.
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Kubasik → carry → underlings
An outside investigation found that his conduct had been 'not consistent with the values of the company' under its code of conduct, although L3Harris didn't provide further details or comment.
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L3Harris → find → details
News website Semafor cited two people involved in the probe as saying that the conduct in question allegedly related to an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
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conduct → cite → subordinate
The Wall Street Journal reported that Kubasik was also accused of 'aggressive, profane behavior.
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Kubasik → report → behavior
A spokesman for Kubasik, 65, said he 'categorically' denied he'd had a relationship with a subordinate and insisted that was not the reason why he left the tech company.
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he → say → company
He has rejected any wrongdoing and disputes that there were any grounds to oust him.
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He → reject → him
The Journal also reported that other women at L3Harris are said to have raised concerns about Kubasik's behavior, reportedly warning female colleagues to avoid being alone with him and to be 'careful' on the company's corporate jet.
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women → report → jet
One of them had made a formal complaint about alleged sexual harassment in 2023.
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One → make → 2023
Kubasik remained in his role while the woman left the company and he has not commented on these claims.
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he → remain → claims
Critics questioned the L3Harris board's vetting of Kubasik before hiring him in 2015 given that, three years earlier in 2012, he was ousted from defense giant Lockheed Martin after an ethics investigation found he had a 'lengthy, close personal relationship' with a subordinate there that violated Lockheed's code of ethics.
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that → question → ethics
On leaving Lockheed, Kubasik said in a statement: 'I regret that my conduct in this matter did not meet the standards to which I have always held myself.'
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I → leave → myself
L3Harris's history goes back to 1895 when Alfred S. Harris founded the Harris Automatic Press Company in Niles, Ohio.
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Harris → go → Niles
After 70 years focusing on printing presses, it merged in 1967 with a Florida company, Radiation, that was developing technology for the space race.
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that → focus → race
In 2019, Harris Corporation, by now specializing in defense and aerospace, merged with tech-focused defense contractor L3 Technologies in a $15 billion deal that created a company with 48,000 employees.
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that → specialize → employees
L3, which Kubasik was running at the time of the merger, was already controversial.
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Kubasik → run → merger
A router overloaded the FAA system, snarling up air traffic control and causing a ground stop that stranded thousands of travelers
CEO
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that → overload → travelers
Chris Kubasik was allegedly fired over his inappropriate relationship with one of his own underlings
It first made headlines in 2008 when L3 was sued for human rights violations – including torture - they said they'd suffered at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq.
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they → fire → Iraq
A confidential settlement was reached in 2012, and the company did not issue a statement.
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company → reach → statement
In 2015, New York-based L3, by now one of the biggest contractors to the Pentagon and the tenth biggest defense company in the world, agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations by a company whistleblower that it had overcharged the federal government.
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it → base → government
The company did not issue a statement with the settlement.
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company → issue → settlement
And just two years later, it agreed to another payout, this time to settle accusations by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of alleged improper accounting that allowed some executives to meet incentive bonus targets.
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executives → agree → targets
L3 declined to comment on the SEC settlement at the time.
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L3 → decline → time
L3 denied wrongdoing but declined additional comment in all of the cases.
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L3 → deny → cases
Harris Corp made unfavorable headlines when, in September 2019, just months after the $15 billion merger with L3 to become L3Harris, it agreed to pay a $13 million settlement with the State Department over 131 alleged export violations, which included unauthorized exports of military radios and software.
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which → make → radios
No statement was made by the State Department said the company cooperated in the review.
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company → make → review
The federal government said the company had failed to stop repeated violations of the Arms Export Control Act for several years despite having been notified by the Pentagon.
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company → say → Pentagon
As part of the settlement, Harris had to accept an external compliance monitor.
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Harris → have → monitor
A company spokesman said: 'As noted in the agreement, the company voluntarily disclosed a majority of the alleged violations, cooperated with the State Department's review, and began instituting self-initiated compliance improvements prior to the settlement.'
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company → say → settlement
The merger of L3 and Harris hardly slowed the trickle of negative headlines.
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merger → slow → headlines
In 2022, it was revealed that L3Harris was in holding talks to buy NSO Group, the Israeli company behind the Pegasus spyware, which the US had blacklisted.
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US → reveal → which
Pegasus is a software that can infect mobile devices and it was allegedly used to hack about 1,400 WhatsApp users using U.S. servers, according to a lawsuit filed in 2019.
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it → infect → 2019
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
