If you're worried America teeters on the brink of banana-republican decadence, worry about this. These days, old soldiers never fade away, they just pull down seven-figure salaries from General Dynamics. Reading this piece—and please do read it—the outrageousness of ex-generals raking in ungodly sums hawking war machines to their junior ex-colleagues becomes so vivid, one naturally wonders why it is so little remarked upon by the guardians of the public interest. ...Economist
The Economist is referring to the investigative report by Bryan Bender in the Boston Globe about our glorious military our downward spiral into Rambo-the-bankster hell.
-Dozens of retired generals employed by defense firms maintain Pentagon advisory roles, giving them unparalleled levels of influence and access to inside information on Department of Defense procurement plans.
-The generals are, in many cases, recruited for private sector roles well before they retire, raising questions about their independence and judgment while still in uniform. The Pentagon is aware and even supports this practice.
-The feeder system from some commands to certain defense firms is so powerful that successive generations of commanders have been hired by the same firms or into the same field. For example, the last seven generals and admirals who worked as Department of Defense gatekeepers for international arms sales are now helping military contractors sell weapons and defense technology overseas.
-When a general-turned-businessman arrives at the Pentagon, he is often treated with extraordinary deference — as if still in uniform — which can greatly increase his effectiveness as a rainmaker for industry. The military even has name for it — the “bobblehead effect.’’
In the real world of the concerned American citizen/taxpayer, this translates into the government's self-appointed steering committee stealing a constantly increasing number of paychecks from each of us. Get this:
There was a clear sense of urgency as top Army officials and advisers converged on the National Defense University’s campus on the banks of the Potomac River for a high-level meeting in June 2009.Their goal: develop ideas for the Army’s next ground combat vehicle. The Army badly needed to get a new tank program rolling after its previous effort resulted in an embarrassing, $14 billion flop.
A veil of secrecy surrounded the event. The Army did not publicly disclose the guest list for the meeting. It required participants to sign nondisclosure agreements.
And to block potential bidders from gaining an unfair advantage, defense contractors were pointedly excluded.
Yet, defense contractors had a robust presence inside.
At least six retired generals invited by the Army were also consultants or executives of defense companies that would bid on the new tank contracts, according to a meeting roster obtained by the Globe. The roster did not list their private-sector affiliations. Each was listed by the Army only as “distinguished participant.’’
Liberal talk show hosts (among others) have been fulminating lately and justifiably about the diminishing manufacturing base in the US and how this has been replaced by the very shaky base of financial games -- like investing in derivatives. But, as the Globe report points out, we aren't losing all of our industrial base by any means. One sector is growing exponentially.
The demand for the generals who can guide investment decisions is expected to grow in the future, say observers of the trend.
Retired Army General Wesley K. Clark, who now works as a lobbyist and investment banker for companies seeking alternative energy contracts, believes the growing hunger among private equity firms and Wall Street investors to enlist retired generals is a consequence of a broader phenomenon: the increasing importance of the military to America’s industrial base.
“It is the militarization of the economy,’’ Clark said in a recent interview.
I hope many Democrats will consider the ability of a progressive or liberal president to circumvent the naked economic and political power of the corporate military. Particularly when the latter also own, as we say, the megaphone.
I don't think we ought to overlook the extent to which the rise of military corporatism (or is it corporatist militarism?) has been helped by the public-relations victories of the ideological advocates of American supremacy at Fox News, the Weekly Standard, and the Washington Post op-ed page. Among those victories is the close connection in the public mind between support for America's wars—for American military might in general—and American patriotism. ...Economist
We are faced with the dilemma. We no longer have a two-party system. Independent, liberal, and progressive politicians have nowhere to go in an increasingly militarized nation. The social or democratic agenda takes second place in our economy -- at best. The people get their needs met only if corporations and military needs are satisfied. Every move our president plans, every policy decision is subject to modification or nullification by a group which has far more power than Congress or any other branch of government.
