Position Paper on Military Industrial Complex

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Position on Military Industrial Complex
Catalina M. Young
Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy

Abstract
The “Military Industrial Complex” is a term coined by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This refers to the relationship between the nation’s armed forces and the industries that support them. Though its name came about in the 1960s, this relationship between armed forces and private industry dates back centuries. Recent legislation has been passed to help limit the power that this relationship has over defense spending.

For any country, military spending is a big part of the national budget. Over time this business transaction has formed into a relationship between the nation’s armed forces and these private defense industries. …show more content…

As president, he would seek out ways to make peace without going to war. Even during the Cold War, President Eisenhower recognized the MIC as a means to prevent the Soviets from attacking the U.S. due to its extensive peacetime military. However he warned his fellow citizens to be aware of what they are doing and not to abuse its power.
Many people have claimed that the MIC does not exist. Yet Americans did not heed the warning of President Eisenhower. Over the past fifty years, defense manufacturers have grown immensely. Companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Boeing have grown from small private companies in to big corporations with multibillion dollar contracts with the United States government. Yet politicians such as Aaron L. Friedburg argued in opposition to the existence of the MIC, stating:
“[A]n array of societal forces blocked more ambitious proposals for the federal government to extract and direct resources to build American strategic power during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. As a percentage of GNP, military spending declined from fiscal year 1958 to 1966. With this measure, one could argue that the MIC did not have the effects that Eisenhower had feared it would.” (Ball, 2002)
Former Vice-President Dick Cheney is a disbeliever in the MIC. Cheney and other

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