Wesley Clark & the Military Industrial Complex.

I think there is some misconception as to how Clark fits into the military-industrial complex.

In short, he really doesn't.

At least not like folks like former Secretary of Defense William Perry, former secretary of the Air Force Shiela Wildnall, and other high level DoD poltical appointees.

There is indeed a network of think tanks (like RAND), consultantcys (like SAIC and ANSER), federally funded private or academic sector labs/R&D activites like MITRE and Lincoln Labs and The Aerospace Corporation, contractors like Raytheon, Loral, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrup-Grumman, etc, as well as the miltiary services (the uniformed and civilian bureaucracy in the Pentagon and the various military commands like NAVFACENGCOM, ACC, Central Command, etc)....plus the VA, veterans groups, and military lobbying groups.

What happens here is that people make careers in this "Defense Community", both as uniformed military and as civilians, both in the private and public sector parts of this establishment. Bill Perry is a good example of this as he worked for a defense contractor prior to becoming SecDef. Shiela Wildnall followed more of an academic career path, working on defense R&D at MIT before moving to the SecAF job. While Perry & Wildnall where Democrats I'm sure there are Republican examples, too.

Then there is the example of people retiring from the military and moving into defense contractor jobs.

The deal with Wesley Clark is that he was indeed career military, but pretty much left the "Defense Community" after he retired, going to work in the non-defense private sector (investment banking, I think), and also had that side job as military commentator on the media.

So I don't think Clark is really a representative of the military-industrial complex as I understand it. He does not appear to be affiliated with the defense industry or defense contractors. I understand he is on some corporate boards...perhaps these are defense contractors. I would have to know more about these buisnesses before I can say this, though.

Also worth noting is that Clark was openly critical of defense spending in his recent interview in Newsweek. He said that much of the economic stimulus we're seeing at the moment is a result of defense spending, and that he thought that this money could be used in much more effective ways.

It's probably the most important concern about him, that he's a sort of puppet for defense interests.

Hopefully the press will explore this aspect during the campaign.

The military industrial complex has already got their pony in this race. And it ain't Clark.

On the other, he's a 'puppet.' Arrogant people do not allow themselves to become puppets; they prefer to pull the strings themselves.

You can only throw so much shit at the wall hoping some sticks before it all starts falling down.

he belongs to a couple of think tanks. CSIS is one of them.

That is interesting.

CSIS is sort of leftish, isnt it?

Interesting group:

http://csis.org/about/index.htm#4

he's part of the "military industrial complex" (and I am a Clark supporter--no flames please), but he does maintain ties with people in and around the DOD. Why do you think Stephens would hire a former general as an investment banker?? My guess is that he brought in some defense-type business.

I have already offered to place money on the fact that he will receive the most money from defense industry out of all the candidates. Otherwise its just a worthless opinion.
Unlike the Clark groupies, I don't get emotionally attached to a damned politician.

attached!

Whew!

Clark chairs the board of Wavecrest Technologies, which is a company trying to build more efficient motors through the use of "smart" engines that automatically distribute energy through the system.

He's also on the boards of the Messer Group, which makes and distributes industrial gases (O2, CO2, N, He, etc.), the Sirva Corp., which is the parent of Allied and North American Van Lines, and Axciom, and IT company.

His think tank experience includes the National Endowment for Democracy, the International Crisis Group (which is not a military group, and btw has a great website), and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (which draws mostly from former civilian foreign-policy leaders in America, i.e. State, civilian defense, CIA,FBI, NSC).

Wherever the idea came from that Clark was somehow the darling of the defense contractors misses the mark.

Nice potential source of funding.

It's not really IT, it's really closer to business intelligence, specifically dealing with databases on people's personal information, similar to Choicepoint, the company which handled the voter registration database in Florida.

I work in this industry, and it's not a benign industry by any means, imo. It's tied in with the Patriot Act and privacy issues big time. It's a huge red flag from my point of view.

Then again, how much of an issue this is depends on the specific nature of Clark's relationship with them. Do you know any more about it?

Clark was brought onto the Acxiom board post-9/11 as a local who could potentially help with the company's efforts to win government contracts. I think their efforts were mostly in using a modified version of their fraud detection stuff to screen airplane passengers. Clinton's old Chief of Staff, Mack McLarty, was also on the board. Clark stepped down earlier this year, probably to prepare to run.

My editorial spin is that we needed, and still need, a passenger screening system.

Clark himself has called for a revision of the Patriot Act to enhance protection of individual freedoms and privacy.

For your perusal: http://www.wavecrestlabs.com/

Although it seems like that engine would be pretty vulnerable given that it would be inside the tire.

zoom zoom

thought the military industrial complex was a term to describe ex military men who went to work for defense contractors and lobbied the very people they used to work with.


Wes Clark hasn't done that.

Remember that General Eisenhower coined the phrase "military industrial complex" in a statement of warning as he was leaving the Presidency. He said that the "complex" was having too much influence on government policy and that the influence was growing at an alarming rate.

General Clark is similarly warning about the Defense Department running amok from his position as a recent insider. Nobody would remember the term "military industrial complex" if insider Ike hadn't been the one to cast it in a bad light.

Everything negative Clark has to say about GOP military strategy, and he is as critical as anyone, is amplified well beyond the impact the civilian candidates have.

Clark is a special pleader for one of his infotech companys in the "homeland security" world:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=212190

The conference, being held in Philadelphia from 30 June - July 2, heard retired General Wesley Clark list funding difficulties for new ideas and "turf wars" between federal agencies as two obstacles. He blamed the federal procurement process, especially its procurement officials, for keeping unsolicited industry ideas from getting into the procurement pipeline.

He was there provide ideas on a panel and he wasn't representing anyone (at least, the article didn't suggest that he was representing anyone). That shouln't be that worrying.

The other link with Acxiom might be something to investigate, though.

I was favorably disposed to Clark, but Im seeing him in maybe a more realistic light...

in the military industrial complex. Here's why:

1) believe it or not, they don't like the idea of who they regard as "their boys" getting killed.
2) they're already generals--they don't nead a war to punch the promotion ticket. At the same time, if anything goes wrong it's their asses.
3) they don't make any more money by going to war than they do playing golf at Army Navy and hobnobbing with VIP's.

The generals have been the voice of caution, largely ignored, but listened to enough to prevent even a worse quagmire.

It's no coincidence that Rumsfeld had to dig someone out of retirement to step in as Army Chief of Staff.

Though I thought I read somewhere he was a corporate consultant for a bit. But throwing that out. Bush's family makes money from Carlyle, who owns a few defense contractors. Cheney was the CEO of a defense contractor (Halliburton). Rumsfeld went to business in Iraq for Bechtel.

So freaking out about Clark isn't warranted.