The endless wars in the world are the fruit of a huge industry that does not make headlines in legacy media. But patriots like seasoned combat veteran Colonel Douglas Macgregor have pointed to its key role in keeping the bloodshed going in foreign lands. As he pointed out recently, congress is part of the trio, along with military and the defense industry, which perpetuates wars like the one in Ukraine.
War translates into profit that is incentive for those funded by the taxpayer money to fuel endless wars and thus keep the money pouring into their pockets at the cost of human life and peace. Joseph Heller’s classic novel Catch 22 explored this reality in the early ‘60s, around the same time when President Dwight D. Eisenhower coined the term “military industrial complex” in his farewell speech. But given the authority of the representatives of people in powerful countries like the United States, the Congress has been part of this complex without its name included in the term.
In the United States, the Congress holds the power of the purse such that the President needs congressional approval of funding for wars, which would go to the military and the defense industry. Given the exceptional unity of the otherwise divided Congress when it comes to approving big bucks for wars, launched under certain narratives, hints at the representative body’s self-interested motives. And while traditional media is a facilitator in this game, Colonel Macgregor calls it what it has been: the “military-industrial-congressional complex.”
Talking to Scottish anchor Neil Oliver on GB News last week, Colonel Macgregor opined that America has no strategic interest in Ukraine and the “threat from Russia” is a huge lie. He added that D.C., meaning the Congress, has its share of people who are “bought and paid for” and vote for funding the military-industrial complex, thus making it the military-industrial-congressional complex. Going back to Eisenhower, Colonel Macgregor told that President Eisenhower’s original speech had the term “military-industrial-congressional complex” but he was advised against using the term for fear of making enemies in the Congress and thus getting obstruction in passing legislation. “So he backed away from it, which is unfortunate because it’s very much part of the problem,” said Macgregor. “We’ve got a lot of people simply profiting.”
In January 2020, The American Prospect published a piece under the title “The Members of Congress Who Profit From War” to reveal that several members of Congress have personal investments in the defense industry and some that profit from the same industry via their families. The story published a list of Senators and Representatives in the House from both parties who have investments in defense stocks. The story also noted that high-ranking defense officials secure positions of lobbyists or senior executives for defense contractors through the revolving door connecting the industry and the military. Five main contractors where many of these officials moved included: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman.
Last year, the Pentagon failed its sixth annual financial audit in a row, revealing nearly $4 trillion in unaccounted expenditures. Republican Senator Rand Paul called for accountability and wrote on Twitter/X: “No institution is above scrutiny, especially the DoD w/ the largest budget of ANY fed agency.”