Military Industrial Complex

Israel recruits some of its brightest kids into the military cyber, signal and electronic intelligence and warfare units. There, these 18-year-olds are given the most sought after toys any geek might wish for: sophisticated computer systems, which only states have at their disposal with almost limitless computing power and a license to break in and enter whatever seems interesting. Some are encouraged to investigate the unknown. Illegal is no hindrance.

 

Without going into the ethics of some of the “work” these soldiers carry out “for their country”, the next stage is much more troublesome. After several years of military service, some take their expertise to the market, setting up companies, in which the digital breaking and entering software is offered by them to those who are willing to pay.

 

Much money is involved, very much money. Dictators will pay as much as is required to get rid of their opponents. According to Amnesty International, one Israeli company alone has sold its systems to a long list of dictatorships. Under the mantle of combatting crime and terrorism, critics and opponents of the regime are targeted with these powerful digital tools.

 

Sadly, Israel, one of the biggest players in the world’s arms trade, finds it useful to agree arms, weapon systems, and electronic weaponry deals with some of the darkest regimes worldwide.

 

The term “military-industrial-complex”, I always thought, was a slogan conceived by American socialists. Not so: It was no less than a Republican, the retired General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in his final speech (1961) as 34^th President of the USA, had warned:

 

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

 

We have not heeded Eisenhower’s warning and the military-industrial-complex is growing daily. It has gotten out of hand and democracies should start winding this down. A good start would be to cut the mercenary lure of killing and instruments of subjugation.