The American war machine, explained

21 insights saved from this video by @culture

@culture· Government & Corruption
The Pentagon paid Boeing $3,357 for a ball bearing available in its warehouse for $15.42.
@culture· Government & Corruption
A Stinger missile rose from $25,000 to nearly $500,000, more than sixteenfold, over a few decades.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Auditors reported that 61% of the Pentagon's physical assets were missing from its records or unaccounted for.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Each cruise missile cost $1.6 million, and the United States bought 600 of them in one year.
@culture· Government & Corruption
In 2022, major defense companies hired 672 people directly from the Pentagon as lobbyists, board members, or executives.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Over three decades, the defense industry consolidated from 51 major contractors to just five.
@culture· Government & Corruption
The United States operates approximately 1,250 military bases, including about 800 outside the country.
@culture· Government & Corruption
An arms merchant could sell weapons to both sides of a conflict, turning mutual fear into a market.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Countries that buy American weapons give the United States some say in how their governments act.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Weapons the CIA supplied to Afghan rebels fighting the Soviets were later used against invading American forces by those fighters and their descendants.
@culture· Government & Corruption
CIA officials asked Washington to guarantee Abu Zubaydah would remain isolated and incommunicado for life.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Weapons given to Libya later leaked into the hands of militants and insurgents in Syria and South Sudan.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Weapons reliably strengthen alliances, but they are far less effective at changing a partner’s behavior.
@culture· Government & Corruption
At about 3:26 a.m., Area 51’s runway lights switched on, yet images showed no clear takeoff.
@culture· Government & Corruption
SpaceX was awarded a $1.8 billion National Reconnaissance Office contract to develop a spy-satellite swarm.
@culture· Government & Corruption
A space attack does not need to hit a satellite. Disabling its ground station can degrade the entire system.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Some defense contractors earn 40–50% profit margins, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in excess profits.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Recipients make decisions based on local needs, so US weapons can advance American goals while enabling conduct Washington opposes.
@culture· Government & Corruption
Janet aircraft fly Area 51 employees between the secret base and Las Vegas every day.
@culture· Government & Corruption
When governments withhold information, people fill the silence with certainty and stories that make the unknown intelligible.
@culture· Government & Corruption
An interwar warning still hangs over military spending: fiercer wars could make arms merchants increasingly influential.

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