An investigation into that possibility is under way, drawing unprecedented attention to the corrosive influence of money in politics. The arms industry, dominated by a few mega-corporations like Lockheed Martin, McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing, is one of the most powerful of U.S. special interest groups. Using its formidable financial and political clout, the industry has grown expert in slanting U.S. policy decisions for its own financial gain-often to the detriment of human rights and global security. To make sure it gets its way, the arms industry is pouring more money into political coffers than ever before. Still, from the arms industry's perspective, Pentagon spending for new weapons has plummeted-as compared with the peak Reagan years, that is.
Most companies prefer the export option.
Arms makers quickly realized that if the export push were to succeed, they would need substantial U.S. government assistance in the form of federal subsidies to promote and finance overseas sales, relaxed policies on high technology exports, and reduced restrictions in regional markets like Eastern Europe and Latin America. And that's pretty much what arms makers got. We have seen . . . I would say it's a dramatic turn. Today, nearly 6,400 Pentagon, State, and Commerce Department employees are assigned full time to help arms makers promote, broker, negotiate, and close foreign sales.