Military Companies Likely To Benefit From Airstrikes In Iraq, Syria

[JEB]

Looks like another big old bloody pile of money making. Could this be what this is all about?

http://www.nationalmemo.com/military-companies-likely-benefit-airstrikes-iraq-syria/

By W.J. Hennigan, Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Three days after U.S. warships fired 47 cruise missiles at Sunni militant targets in northern Syria last week, the Pentagon signed a $251-million deal to buy more Tomahawks from Raytheon Co., a windfall for the military giant and its many subcontractors.

<snip>

Wall Street is paying attention. Shares of major military contractors – Raytheon, Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. – all have been trading near all-time highs, outpacing the Standard & Poor’s 500 index of large companies’ stocks.

<snip>

“These coalition partners have already bought quite a bit of weapons from American weapons makers,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Teal Group Corp., a Virginia research firm. “After a campaign like this, they’re likely to buy more.”

<snip>

“This might not be a turning point,” said Betsy Schmid, a former staff director for the Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense and now vice president for national security and acquisition policy at the association. “While it may seem that there’s enough momentum to get the defense cuts rolled back, there have been no promises made by Congress just yet.”

[libdem4life]

1. Well, duh. Arms makers care not which side they arm...they are amoral...and rich.

The Capitalistic, Kleptocratic American Way.

[JEB]

2. We Americans love killing (Nam, Central America, Chile, ME etc.).

It has almost become the only thing we do well. That and hoarding money. I wonder how many of these arms makers are among the corporations avoiding taxes.

[TRoN33]

12. And Rothschild way too.

His forefathers sold weapons, ships, and fighters to both sides in World War II.

There is a proof. Both Brit and German best pursuit fighters were Spitfire and Bf-109. Both have exact same size and dimension of engine masts and struts in forward section of their fighters. Both sides can practically swap their own engines into their own enemy's fighters without welding or cutting. Germans' captured Spitfire powered by Damiler Benz engine were far more superior over British counterpart.

Coincidence? No. War machine makers walked away with big smiles on their faces ever since.

[Mister Nightowl]

3. War is great for profits

And (false) prophets like Bill Kristol and John Bolton.

[JEB]

4. Stench of PNAC is all over this.

Neocon wet dream.

[Mister Nightowl]

6. Project for Neocon Assholes' Coup

That's what happened to us after 9/11: a fucking in-house coup!

[Electric Monk]

5. Gee, whoda thunkit? Who could have possibly imagined?

[JEB]

8. Yes, war has been a racket for a long long time, but

now it passes for an economy. Many people know it is a racket and are complicit. Many more know it is a racket, but are powerless to stop it. I have come to understand that the country I learned about as a kid (back in the 1950's) was a lie. A kind of beautiful mirage.

[whereisjustice]

7. we are bombing the weapons we gave to Iraq now being used by ISIS - is this a great country or what?

[JEB]

9. Kind of like stepping on our own dick.

[kath]

17. Yeppers, that's the beauty of the system!

Woot!

[FlatStanley]

10. I thought we were bombing ISIS to protect the US and the moderate rebels.

That's what our President said. I trust my president (TM)

[JEB]

11. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Load up on Lockheed Martin stock and let the good times roll.

[FlatStanley]

13. I've always thought of investing in the MIC

But I still have a small scrap of dignity. I hope.

[JEB]

15. What kind of American are you?

One of the marginalized Left. Even scraps of dignity are begrudged us.

[FlatStanley]

20. I'm working on it!

[JEB]

21. Thank you for caring and working on it.

Trying to figure what is really going on these days is a challenge.

[FlatStanley]

23. Only if you use your brain.

Actually, that's not entirely fair. The propaganda machines are highly sophisticated. Couple that with a tenuous economy and civic participation is low on the list. Unfortunately it is a self reenforcing death spiral.

[valerief]

14. War profiteering is what it's always about. nt

[kath]

16. File under "No Shit, Sherlock"

[JEB]

18. Yeah, I know.

What we gonna do about it?

[AnalystInParadise]

19. That makes sense

our office is going from 15 to 35 people. The 20 new contractors are all analysts like me that will likely be going forward to do All Source work with 1ID and 101st. Haven't seen the task order yet.

[JEB]

22. Pardon my ignorance, but

what is All Source work?

[AnalystInParadise]

24. A type of intelligence work

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/all-source+intelligence