According to the DIA, 4,000 PS2s have been shipped to Iraq in the last three months. The DIA has speculated that the consoles could be used for controlling missiles or unmanned fighter planes. Sanctions forbid the export of computer hardware to Iraq by member states of the United Nations. However, the sanctions do not ban the export of games consoles. Japanese authorities classified the 128-bit PS2 as a military weapon when it launched in April 2000.
According to news web site ZDNet.co.uk, a source close to UK government intelligence services described the DIA’s concern as “complete cobblers.” The unnamed source adds that there is no shortage of PC hardware in Iraq and that the DIA’s theory, that the Iraqi military is bundling several PS2s to create a supercomputer, is very unlikely to work.