1 in 3 Big Defense Contractors Profit from US Prisoner Suffering

There exists a situation whereby prisoners earning pennies per hour are making multimillion-dollar weapons fired by individuals being paid barely $20,000 per year at civilians who might not make that much in their lifetimes.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Prison Labor Feature photo

WASHINGTON – America’s largest arms companies are increasingly finding lucrative new ways of profiting from the prison industrial complex; in many cases, weapons of war are directly manufactured using coerced prison labor. A new MintPress News study of the 100 largest private Defense Department contractors found that 37% of them were also profiting

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Elizabeth Warren and the Military Industrial Complex

Warren’s views on countries in the crosshairs of the US State Department largely conform to those of her colleagues on Capitol Hill: Iran is a “bad actor,” Russia and China “are working to undermine the basic human rights we hold dear,” and so on.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Elizabeth Warren | foreign policy

WASHINGTON --  Senator Elizabeth Warren is making strides to characterize her foreign policy vision as a progressive one after she announced she’d be forming an exploratory committee for a presidential run. But her record on the issues and her associations with war hawks contrasts sharply with her liberal rhetoric. One executive of a defense

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Defense Contractors Saw $10 Billion Stock Boost Following Syria Airstrikes

War, who is it good for? Missile manufacturers, that’s who.

C.J. Atkins
By C.J. Atkins
Raytheon CEO Tom Kennedy, left, former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, center, and Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson wait for the arrival of President Donald Trump in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, March 22, 2018. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Since President Trump announced that he intended to bomb Syria, the stock values of some of the country’s top weapons manufacturers have soared, adding a collective $10 billion in market capitalization values over the course of just one week. With Trump delivering on his promise this weekend, the rally on Wall Street continues. A barrage of 118

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With Appointment of Defense Industry Insiders, Trump Adds to Washington’s ‘Swamp’

Trump is certainly not the first president to appoint defense industry executives to senior Pentagon posts, but he’s taken the practice to extreme lengths. He’s also extended the same practice to almost every other cabinet department.

Jonathan Marshall
By Jonathan Marshall
President Donald Trump to speaks to Boeing employees in the final assembly building at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, S.C., Feb. 17, 2017. (AP/Mic Smith)

In the Famous-Last-Words department, this Dec. 12, 2016, headline from Reuters surely ranks among the worst: “Trump attack on Lockheed Martin foreshadows war on defense industry.” When it comes to military contractors, President Trump surely prefers to make love, not war. Not only does he seek a $51 billion increase in the base military budget,

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How The Military-Industrial Complex Preys On Troops

Here’s a question for you: How do you spell boondoggle?

The answer (in case you didn’t already know): P-e-n-t-a-g-o-n.

William D. Hartung
By William D. Hartung

Hawks on Capitol Hill and in the U.S. military routinely justify increases in the Defense Department’s already munificent budget by arguing that yet more money is needed to “support the troops.” If you’re already nodding in agreement, let me explain just where a huge chunk of the Pentagon budget — hundreds of billions of dollars — really goes. Keep

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Trump To Put Raytheon Lobbyist In Charge Of Army

Mark Esper’s nomination is Trump’s third attempt to fill the position of Army secretary.

James Holbrooks
By James Holbrooks
Mark Esper, deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Defense, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 29, 2004. (C-Span)

(Analysis) --- Last Wednesday, it was reported that Donald Trump was moving to nominate Raytheon lobbyist Mark Esper for secretary of the Army. Raytheon is one of the “big five” defense contractors, and the president’s decision comes at a time when concerns are being raised over the idea of defense industry executives being placed in senior

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