Lockheed Martin pockets huge profits

[Roberto Vignoli <rvignoli at gmail.com>]

From involvement in the US militarisation and domination of space, to managing the UK's nuclear weapons establishments, Lockheed Martin pockets huge profits. Feature by Jennie Bailey.
http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=2908

Trouble Vision?
Two decades ago the then president Reagan unveiled his Strategic Defence Initiative (also known as 'Star Wars'); this was was originally intended to be a defence against nuclear ballistic missiles. In 1993, under the Clinton administration, SDI had a name change and became the Ballistic Missile Defese Organization (BMDO) and then the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in 2002. Five years earlier, in 1997, the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) unleashed Vision 2020, a template for 'dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment'[1]. USSPACECOM merged with the US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) in 2002. USSTRATCOM currently controls the nation's stock of nuclear weapons[2]. The idea behind the need for nukes is 'Mutually Assured Destruction' or MAD for short. MAD is suggested as being a form of military strategy: two, or more, countries with nuclear capability would wipe each other out in a full-scale attack[3]. Of course, it will be military corporations that stand to benefit from the development of hardier weapons to add to weapons of MAD. According to Multinational Monitor, the US-based corporate-critical research group, 'Lockheed Martin...has more connections to the Bush administration than any other major defense contractor'[4] and it is looking at serious profits.
Boombastic!
If the US government wants to 'get the job done' in conflict then it turns to Lockheed Martin, the largest arms manufacturer in the world[5]. In 2006, its overall annual turnover was $37,2 billion, 98% of that revenue was from defence[6]. In 2006 it was ranked the 52nd most profitable American corporation by the Fortune 500, the annual ranking of America's largest corporations[7]. Lockheed Martin boasts that 80% of its customers are from the US with the majority of its business 'with the US Department of Defense (DOD)...federal government agencies...[and it is] the largest provider of IT services, systems integration, and training to the US Government'[8]. The remaining portion of its business is comprised of international government, and some commercial sales of products and services[9]. Lockheed Martin specialises in: aeronautics (research, design, and manufacture of aircraft[10]), electronics, information systems and technology, and space systems[11]; the latter which is worth approximately '$7.9 billion...[including] space launch, commercial satellites, government satellites, and strategic missiles'[12]. The corporation's motto "we never forget who we're working for" sounds childish. Lockheed Martin is also 'working for' several human rights abusing countries including Israel[13], Turkey[14] and Saudi Arabia[15]. Back in 1997, investigative journalism site MotherJones half joked that Lockheed's primary customers were 'everyone'[16].
Space: The Final Frontier?
Ten years on and the vision of US control of the heavens is still present. According to The New York Times, 'the ...drive into space has been accelerated by the Pentagon's failure to build a missile defense on earth'; one general was cited as saying: "Space superiority is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our vision for the future."[17] However, it could be argued that the domination of space will be corporate-led. In 2006, Lockheed Martin won a five year $448.86m contract extension with NASA to build a new spaceship[18], comfortably linked with Bush's programme to return humans to the moon[19]. Lockheed Martin declares that it 'supports virtually every NASA mission that leaves [the] planet ...[its] space-operations support includes [developing and testing] everything from flight hardware,...procedures to experiments'[20]. But the company's space exploration programme is the surface of a deeper mission in space exploitation. Lockheed Martin's space systems company[21] is part of the United Space Alliance (USA) which is joint-owned by the company and fellow arms and aviation company, Boeing[22]. Lockheed's space projects include communication satellite systems[23], space shuttle missions, mining (with USA and NASA). Its military capabilities include: global positioning satellite (GPS: the car-friendly system used by SatNav), space based infrared missile warning system[24], and Milstar - a military satellite communications system that provides the National Command Authorities, Department of Defense and operational forces with jamproof communications[25].
Nu Nukes
Lockheed Martin also specialises in nuclear weapons and will benefit from the UK government's push for a renewal of Trident - the UK's 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'. In its website, Lockheed Martin comments on the 'special relationship between the United States and United Kingdom has led to a large number of alliances in both defence and commercial programmes'[26]. Customers include: the Royal Navy and UK air traffic control. Lockheed Martin manages Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), the UK state-owned nuclear weapons company. AWE Management Ltd is a partnership between Lockheed Martin, Serco and British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL)[27]. It runs AWE Aldermaston and AWE Burghfield. It also administers AWE Blacknest in Brimpton, which runs seismological tests to replicate 'nuclear quakes'. All companies are based in Berkshire, run on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, and policed by MOD cops. Lockheed Martin's own Trident nuclear missiles are developed and built at AWE Aldermaston with final assembly taking place at AWE Burghfield. The missiles are then transported to different nuclear ports around the country. HMNB Clyde at Faslane in Scotland is home to four Vanguard class nuclear submarines. Each submarine can carry up to 16 Trident missiles, each missile can carry up to six nuclear warheads - each capable of striking different targets. One Trident nuclear warhead is eight times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima and killed over 100,000 in 1945[28]. MORE INFORMATION:
www.blockthebuilders.com campaign to halt the building of the ORION laser at AWE Aldermaston, that will test the next generation of nuclear weapons www.faslane365.org year-long attempt to shut the nuclear base in Faslane, Scotland ... news can always be found at online at www.corporatewatch.org References
[1] Estes III, Anderson III, Perryman, Moneymaker (1997), Joint Vision 2020, United States Space Command (downloadable from: www.middlepowers.org/gsi/docs/vision_2020.pdf) [2] Author unknown, 'U.S. Strategic Command History ', USTRATCOM, www.stratcom.mil/about-ch.html viewed 21/03/07 [3] Author Unknown, Mutually Assured Destruction, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction viewed 21/03/07 [4] William Hartung and Michelle Ciarrocca (2003), 'Corporate Think Tanks and the Doctrine of Aggressive Militarism', Multinational Monitor, http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/
03jan-feb/jan-feb03corp2.html viewed 21/03/07 [5] Author Unknown, 'Lockheed Martin', 'Sourcewatch, www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Lockheed_Martin viewed 21/03/07 [6] Author Unknown, Defense News Top 100, www.defensenews.com/index.php?S=06top100 viewed 21/03/07 [7] Author Unknown, 'Lockheed Martin', Fortune 500 2006, http://money.cnn.com/
magazines/fortune/fortune500/snapshots/799.html viewed 19/03/07 [8] Author Unknown, 'About Us', Lockheed Martin http://www.lockheedmartin.com/
wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=4&sc=400 viewed 19/03/07 [9] Ibid. [10] Author Unknown, 'Aeronautics', Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronautics viewed 21/03/07 [11] Author Unknown, 'At a Glance', Lockheed Martin, www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=12923&rsbci=4&fti=0&ti=0&sc=400 viewed 19/03/07 [12] Author Unknown, 'About Us', Lockheed Martin, www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=4&sc=400 viewed 19/03/07 [13] Geov Parrish, 'Lockheed Martin', Mother Jones, www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/arms/lockheed.html#footnote viewed 21/03/07 [14] Mat Honan, 'American Weapons Kurdish Blood, Mother Jones, 'www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/arms/turkey.html viewed 21/03/07 [15] Mat Honan, 'Guns for Oil', Mother Jones, www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/arms/saudi.html viewed 21/03/07 [16] Geov Parrish, 'Lockheed Martin', Mother Jones, www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/arms/lockheed.html viewed 21/03/07 [17] Tim Weiner, 'Air Force Seeks Bush's Approval for Space Weapons Programs', New York Times, 18/05/05 [18] Allard Beutel & Kylie Clem, 'CONTRACT RELEASE: C06-045. NASA Extends Lockheed Martin Mission Support Contract', NASA News, www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/sep/HQ_C06045_lockheed.html viewed 22/03/07 [19] Renae Merle, 'Lockheed Wins Contract to Build NASA's New Spaceship', Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101067.html viewed 22/03/07 [20] Author Unknown, 'Space Operations', Lockheed Martin, www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=13183&sc=400 viewed 19/03/07 [21] Author Unknown, 'Space Systems Company', Lockheed Martin, www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=14699&rsbci=21&fti=0&ti=0&sc=400 viewed 21/03/07 [22] Author Unknown, United Space Alliance, www.unitedspacealliance.com viewed 21/03/07 [23] Author Unknown, 'Capabilities', Lockheed Martin, www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=15527&rsbci=21&fti=0&ti=0&sc=400 viewed 21/03/07 [24] Author Unknown, 'Space Based Infrared System - High', Lockheed Martin, http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&prfr=
false&ci=11497&sc=400&ti=&mm=&dd=&yy=&cpi=&bs=&es=&fti=&rsbci=11497&rsbi= viewed 19/03/07 [25] Author Unknown, 'Milstar', Lockheed Martin , http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/
findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=11489&rsbci=0&fti=126&ti=0&sc=400 viewed 21/03/07 [26] Author Unknown, 'United Kingdom: Lockheed Martin UK Ltd', Lockheed Martin, http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?
dsp=fec&ci=13003&rsbci=13173&fti=0&ti=0&sc=400 viewed 22/03/07 [27] Author unknown, 'About AWE', 'www.awe.co.uk/main_site/about_awe/index.html [28] For more information see www.tridentploughshares.org