This thesis examines the impact of illegal U.S. arms transfers upon recipient nations' war fighting capabilities and upon the American national security. Data were gathered primarily from U.S. District Court records and interviews with U.S. governmental officials from intelligence services and the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State. An investigation of the illicit arms transfers to Iran formed the basis of conclusions reached. Additionally, policy recommendations are provided to enhance the governmental detection and investigation of illegal export violations. The viability of utilizing court documents as intelligence tools for measuring military capabilities is assessed.