There is no doubt that the war in Ukraine — as brutally destructive it has been for the Ukrainian people — is a boon to America's top defense contractors: think Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics. As our guest Bill Hartung, author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military Industrial Complex, points out, the U.S. weapons pipeline to Ukraine has not only allowed these companies to amp up production lines, but they are getting all sorts of regulatory short-cuts and allowances from Congress to do it. This includes budgets and favorable measures they had been asking for long before the start of the war. The expected result: more potential for corruption, waste, and even less competition in the defense space than before, says Hartung.
In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the newly announced security alliance between NATO and the EU, all but guaranteeing that the US and its guns aren't going anywhere.
More from Bill Hartung:
Hawks blow a lot of hot air over proposed budget cuts, Responsible Statecraft, 1/10/23
Don't use the war in Ukraine to permanently expand the war industry, Forbes, 12/2/22
How the arms industry scams the taxpayer, with Julia Gledhill, Tom Dispatch, 9/11/22
War was always a racket and Ukraine is no different. A convo w/ Bill Hartung