In his 1961 farewell address, U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower warned about the potentially detrimental impact of the “military-industrial complex” on public policy.
“We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence,” he said.
The spectre of shadowy defence contractors plotting with unhinged generals has been the stuff of conspiracies ever since.
The reality is less dramatic but still alarming in its disregard for due process and democratic guardrails.
Take the nearly two-decades-long process to purchase the F-35 fighter jet.
