Nuclear Brinkmanship as a Business Model
THE ACTORS: Who benefits from a deregulated nuclear landscape? The Defense Industrial Complex: Companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, and General Dynamics are core beneficiaries. These are the giants producing ICBMs, submarines, stealth bombers, and the myriad components of nuclear arsenals. Hawkish Think Tanks & Lobbyists: Organizations like the American
Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Heritage Foundation, and the Atlantic Council consistently advocate for increased defense spending and express skepticism about arms control treaties, often employing former defense officials and military leaders. Their funding often indirectly or directly ties back to defense contractors. Political Figures: Politicians who receive significant campaign contributions
from defense contractors often champion increased military budgets and a more aggressive stance on nuclear modernization. THE FUNDING: Where does their money come from, and what do they gain? The US defense budget for 2024 was signed at approximately $886 billion. A significant portion of this goes to nuclear modernization programs. For example, the US plans to spend an estimated $1.5 trillion
over the next 30 years on modernizing its nuclear triad (Congressional Budget Office, 2021). The expiration of New Start removes a crucial cap, creating a 'justification' for accelerating and expanding these expenditures. In 2022, Lockheed Martin alone reported net sales of nearly $66 billion, with a substantial portion tied to strategic weapons systems. Northrop Grumman similarly posted over $36