Don't forget who you're working for
I've always been amused by Lockheed Martin's marketing slogan "We never forget who we're working for". For most of the last 30 years since Reagan began the great defense buildup, the people they "were working for" were clearly Lockheed shareholders. On a split adjusted basis, the stock went from $10 in 1980 to $120 in August of 2008, just before Obama was nominated. Despite repeated attempts by various Defense Secretaries, Lockheed always managed to put it's shareholder's needs above those of the Country and keep the F-22 gravy train moving.
But yesterday Bob Gates sent the signal to remind Lockheed Martin who they really were working for.
Top Air Force officials said Monday that they supported the Obama administration's decision to buy only four more of the advanced F-22 fighter jets, making it less likely that Congress will insist on extending its production.
Lockheed, which had been engaged in a balls to the wall lobbying campaign to keep the F-22 alive, seems to understand that Obama Administration cannot be rolled on this issue.
"This is the first time in the entire history of the F-22 program that Lockheed could not count on its Air Force customer wanting more F-22s," said Loren Thompson, a consultant who advises Lockheed Martin and other military contractors. "And the company clearly cannot be pushing as hard with Congress as it did in the past because it won't have the customer on its side," he said.
Reforming the Military Industrial Complex is going to be an eight year battle, but the first step is in disciplining the contractors like Lockheed from whose coffers the lobbying and campaign financing flow--poisoning the whole political system.
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And remember, when right wingers accuse Obama of "gutting" the Pentagon -- he's still proposing spending increases, it's just money that goes for smarter things like troops and technology and not expensive dog fighting planes for an era where we don't uh... dog fight.
April 14, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm curious what reformation of Defense Contractor welfare or curtailing defense spending is occurring, 'cause I sure don't see it! We spend, according to wikipedia, 200% more on defense than the entire EU, 900% more than the PRC and 1300% more than Russia! While these figures may not be completely accurate, it begs the question, "WTF"?
April 14, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
If we didn't spend so much on the military we might not get in as much trouble around the world as we do.
Over 4,000 have died in Iraq, thousands maimed for life, and our treasury has been laid bare, all becasue we spend so much on the military.
And to think, all those TRILLIONS didn't protect us on 9/11.
April 14, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
The F-22 Raptor stealth air superiority Mach 2 fighter has a total program cost of $65 billion, which gives each of the 187 planes that will ultimately be procured a program cost of nearly $350,000,000. Each plane, that is, a plane that has not been used in the current conflicts.
The F-22 was approved initially to give the Air Force a next-generation stealthy aircraft to evade ever improving enemy air defenses. But a funny thing happened: Our enemies’ air defenses stopped improving.
Plus the US has run out of enemies, if you don't count Lockheed.
So, today, even a casual examination of recent air combat involving the United States (the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq) proves that the existing fleet of about 700 F-15s and upwards of 1500 F-16s remain, undeniably, unbeatable, and will remain so well into the future. At nearly $350 million per plane (versus about $25 million for the F-16), the F-22 would be by far the most expensive fighter plane ever built.
But at least if they don't use them they won't wear out (but two have crashed -- there went $700,000,000).
April 14, 2009 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's not fair -- a fully loaded f-16 costs more than $25 mil. But when you have cruise missiles and UAVs it's not even all that clear how many F-16s you need.
April 14, 2009 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
We're not talking fully loaded, so it is fair.
April 15, 2009 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Could it be that the future of air warfare is with unmanned planes?
The Predator is the first generation of unmanned fighting planes. There will be more (and better) to come so the manned F22 Raptor is obsolete before it even gets off the ground.
April 15, 2009 12:55 AM | Reply | Permalink