William Hartung — The Pentagon's Conception To Dominate The Economy

Given his erratic behavior, from daily Twitter eruptions to upping his tally of lies yesteryear the hour, it’s difficult to holler upwards of Donald Trump equally a human amongst a plan. But inwards at to the lowest degree 1 expanse — reshaping the economic scheme to serve the needs of the military-industrial complex — he’s (gasp!) a socialist inwards the making.…

William Hartung patently misses that the commencement stride inwards the excogitation is reality distortion, likewise known equally "gaslighting." With such champaign distortion, establishing truth becomes impossible on evidence-based argument, opening the possibility of normalizing anything. It's the terra firma of the excogitation of a "master persuader." The president did non invent it. It has historical precedent.

His excogitation is similar a shot visibly taking form — 1 nosotros tin run across in addition to assess thank you lot to a Pentagon-ledPeter Navarro, who happens to likewise hold upwards the telephone substitution architect of the president’s merchandise wars.

Navarro, however, tin hardly guide maintain sole credit for the administration’s latest economical plan, since the Pb agency for developing it was likewise the most interested of all inwards the project, the Pentagon itself, inwards item its Office of Defense Industrial Policy. In addition, those producing the study did thus inwards coordination amongst an alphabet soup of other agencies from the Department of Commerce to the Director of National Intelligence. And fifty-fifty that’s non all. It’s likewise the production of an “interagency trouble force” made upwards of sixteen working groups in addition to 300 “subject matter” experts, supplemented yesteryear over a dozen manufacture “listening sessions” amongst outfits similar the National Defense Industrial Association, an advocacy arrangement that represents 1,600 companies inwards the defense forcefulness sector.

Before jumping into its essence in addition to implications for the American economic scheme in addition to national defense, allow me intermission a minute to advert ii other small-scale matters.
First, were you lot aware that the Pentagon fifty-fifty had an Office of Defense Industrial Policy? It sounds suspiciously similar the variety of authorities arrangement that engages inwards economical planning, a practise anathema non only to Republicans but to many Democrats equally well. The exclusively argue it’s non a national scandal — consummate amongst Fox News banner headlines virtually the destination of the American mode of life equally nosotros know it in addition to the coming of creeping socialism — is because it’s role of the 1 establishment that has ever been exempt from the dictates of the “free market”: the Department of Defense.

Second, how virtually those 300 bailiwick affair experts? Since when does Donald Trump consult bailiwick affair experts? Certainly non on climate change, the most urgent final result facing humanity in addition to 1 where expert opinion is remarkably unified. The Pentagon in addition to its contractors should, however, hold upwards idea of equally the ultimate exceptional involvement grouping in addition to amongst that condition comes exceptional treatment. And if that agency consulting 300 such experts to brand certain their “needs” are met, thus hold upwards it.

Now for the big stuff....

Tom Dispatch
Tomgram: William Hartung, The Pentagon's Plan to Dominate the Economy

This article is crossposted at The Nation

The Nation
The Military Is the Ultimate Special-Interest Group: More coin than ever is going towards the least-efficient sector of the economy.
William D. Hartung