As President Eisenhower warned, the Military Industrial Complex has situated itself in a very powerful position with regard to influencing policy making and ensuring significant financial gains from federal contracts. It is important to note that the “iron triangle” does in fact exist amongst many lobbying groups but in particular, the MiC has established a sophisticated system by which billions of dollars flow freely to a few businesses. They have become one of the leading lobbying powerhouses in recent years and have benefited greatly from the Iraq War as well as the Afghanistan War.
While it would seem that the MiC has a significant impact on the U.S. economy, the larger question would be to determine how many companies are actually subsidiaries of the larger groups (Lockheed-Martin, Halliburton
When you have completed your required readings for this module, you should be prepared to engage in the following discussion activity:
Choose one of the companies listed as a top recipient of defense contracts (see Military-Industrial Complex (Links to an external site.)). Please provide an argument as to whether the company you chose impacts the economy in a positive way, or if they positively impact the economics of a few, or whether the company provides a needed service addressing if its work is a reflection of the Iron Triangle dynamics.
Propose a solution to prevent the level of influence of large corporations in the MiC (for example, increasing support for small businesses: see Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (Links to an external site.)at the DOD Office of Small Business Programs).