The Military Industrial Complex

THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

That term, coined by President Eisenhower, refers generally to the outflow of money, contracts, and other resources that flow from the United States government including all its branches into all things military. It refers to the structure that provides an overwhelmingly favorable source of financial and political support for all things connected to the military. It requires roughly half of the entire budget each and every year. And woven into that large piece of the budget is much waste, many weapons than are unnecessary, unexplainable overruns, and billions, and yes I said billions, of dollars that are legally clandestine and are spent on projects of which there is no open description to say nothing of any oversight. Yes, the military has at its disposal billions upon billions of budgetary dollars that can be spent anyway it wishes without explanation or even public exposure. They are usually labeled with code in the budget.

And let me also reveal to you the offensive underbelly of the military under the guise of war. When you are engaged in a war, and when that term is used, the end justifies the means is a basic tactic for process, action, and discretionary spending. In short, the military can and does do almost anything they want in a war. The boundaries disappear and the most rabid hawks within the military quickly gain a more pronounced voice that can be at least marginalized during times of peace. But make no mistake that even in times of relative peace there still lives an atmosphere of fear, doomsday\rhetoric, and unreasonable suspicion concerning the past, present, and especially the future. The military basically sees threats under every tree and every bush around the world, and the assessments of the military capabilities of enemy nations are usually blown way out of proportion. (I.e. Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.)

This ultimately leads to all sorts of unwarranted fears and unneeded military projects. And the tentacles of this military complex run through many states which enjoy generous military awards which provide many jobs. This kind of relationship has been symbiotic for many years, and in times of war it has no boundaries. The waste and needless redundancy is breathtaking, however it usually remains hidden from the taxpayer’s eyes. It is the leviathan of all leviathans in America.

But I wish to draw your attention to something more sinister, if that is actually possible. But even as I zero in on something specific, let it be known that the entire military industrial complex is fraught with all kinds of questionable ethics, outright theft, and cronyism at its very best. And thousands of lobbyists like predators live and breathe in Washington just to gain some leverage which ultimately will garner funds. It is quite the spectacle and it reveals the worst about a democracy.

During these times of war companies make tens of billions of dollars while individuals make billions. To say that there is an ounce of frugality being practiced is laughable considering the wonton spending on any and all things requested. The payoffs, the underhanded agreements, the hidden money, and the general money changing atmosphere is astonishing. And hundreds of politicians from the President on down profit from war. It is called profiteering and it goes on unabated. Ultimately there will be warehouses full of unneeded items while bank accounts balloon.

There is no sign of frugality and spending knows no limits. This is to say nothing of how the war is prosecuted and the many wasted bombings and vehicle migrations and many other useless adventures. I am only referring to the backdoor profits. And even when certain elected politicians must temporarily resign from certain company posts, after they leave politics there awaits for them a Disneyland of financial opportunity based in no small part on their friendly handouts to certain companies. It is a slick system where one hand washes the other, and since the public’s attention is diverted with fear and a natural and understandable concern for the well being of the soldiers, it almost seems criminal to question anything.

Even if you removed the killing and the violence, the entire system brims with financial mismanagement and avenues wherein money changes hands with no accountability. And even in times of peace there are always well paid companies diligently working on bigger and better weapons in order to convince the already convinced of their dire necessity in this dangerous world. And the award process is also a -playground for financial manipulation and political promises. When there are three companies presenting prototypes for a certain fighter jet, and when they come from three different states, then the politicians from the individual states will support the home team as well as use all kinds of promises to convince their political brethren to support their states offer.

But just a cursory investigation on the dealing with the security firm named Blackwater back then in Iraq would be an eye opener. The entire “war thing” is big business and comes with a plethora of underhanded dealings and agreements. The cover-ups are many and the over runs are legendary. The whole thing stinks and makes a mockery of fairness and equality. Those in power and already positioned financially make handsome profits.

Now all this financial skullduggery occurs while men and women on both sides are being killed and maimed. Could there be anything more unseemly and immoral? And yet the overwhelming majority of people who call themselves evangelicals espouse it almost without question. And when put to the test most would object more to the financial dealings than the killings themselves. The culture has anestitized the church and fed the church their own brand of morality. And most of the church marches in lock step with the culture and the necessity and normalcy of patriotism and nationalism. It almost never occurs to anyone that perhaps we are walking in a semi-conscious state that keeps us from a genuine obedience to the teachings of Jesus.

And the military industrial complex presents an incredible image of just how far we have strayed form the simplicity that is in Christ. To find another cultural expression that is more immoral in practice and in implementation is very difficult if not impossible. And it is all done with taxpayer money. It is profiteering at its finest and since it operates under the guise of necessary protection, and since it uses the bravery of men and women as cover, it operates almost with reckless abandon.

But we have not learned such from Christ. I know, this is just another issue that seems fanatical and way out of the mainstream, and you know what, it is. War is not the way of Jesus. Think and pray about it.