Trump's defense head will usher in new era of military-industrial complex growth

[DonViejo]

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
03 DEC 2016 AT 09:33 ET

In his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned that for security and liberty to prosper together, “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”

Forty-five years later, a new president is planning to have his Pentagon run by a top official at one of the world’s largest defense contractors. President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will appoint retired General James Mattis as the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Not only would Mattis be the first general to hold the traditionally civilian position, he would move into the job directly from his position helping to run General Dynamics — a $30-billion colossus that heavily relies on Pentagon contracts overseen by the Defense Secretary.

Mattis is currently listed as one of 13 independent directors of the company. Financial filings reviewed by International Business Times show that since taking the position in 2013, Mattis has been paid $594,369 by General Dynamics, and has amassed more than $900,000 worth of company stock. While on the General Dynamics board, Mattis testified before Congress, where he called caps on defense spending — known as the sequestration— a national security threat. “No foe in the field can wreak such havoc on our security that mindless sequestration is achieving,” he said during the 2015 hearing.

Some legislators have already questioned the legality of a military official being appointed to a traditionally civilian position. Meanwhile, ethics experts interviewed by IBT say Mattis’ link to General Dynamics poses major conflict-of-interest questions for a Defense Department that annually directs more than $250 billion worth of spending to private military contractors. “General Dynamics could try to use this relationships to get access into the Pentagon,” Richard W. Painter, the former chief ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, told IBT. “I am very worried about this.”


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http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/trumps-defense-head-will-usher-in-new-era-of-military-industrial-complex-growth/

[Monteg92]

1. He can get a waiver even the republicans can use a nuclear option

[SHRED]

2. The reverse revolving door

tRump is a liar and a con.

[exboyfil]

3. I think the law would be ruled un-Constitutional anyway

On the other hand I think Mattis would have made a much better NSA. The Defense Secretary should not be recently retired military especially when the Commander in Chief is a political neophyte with little grasp of the international situation.