This DC party invite shows all the money to be made off the Ukraine war A Ukrainian Embassy reception, sponsored by America’s biggest weapons makers.
Posted by freedomforall 1 year, 3 months ago to Government
"The invitation said the quiet part out loud.
The Ukrainian Embassy hosted a reception last week in honor of the 31st anniversary of the country’s armed services. Events like this are part of the social calendar of Washington’s smart set, with hobnobbing diplomats, think tankers, journalists, and US officials. Guests took photos with the Ukrainian ambassador. Even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley showed up.
But there was something so overt it led some observers to laugh out loud at the gathering’s invitation.
The logos of military contractors Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, and Lockheed Martin were emblazoned on the invitation as the event’s sponsors, below the official Ukrainian emblems and elegant blue script that said the Ukrainian ambassador and defense attaché “request the pleasure of your company.”
...
No one wanted to talk about the party invite, however. A senior official from the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington confirmed that the companies’ logos appeared on the invitation but declined to speak on the record. They directed me to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which did not immediately respond. Lockheed declined to officially comment and deferred to Ukraine House, an embassy-linked entity that was also listed on the invitation. Raytheon also declined to comment. Emails to Northrop Grumman and Pratt & Whitney were not returned."
The Ukrainian Embassy hosted a reception last week in honor of the 31st anniversary of the country’s armed services. Events like this are part of the social calendar of Washington’s smart set, with hobnobbing diplomats, think tankers, journalists, and US officials. Guests took photos with the Ukrainian ambassador. Even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley showed up.
But there was something so overt it led some observers to laugh out loud at the gathering’s invitation.
The logos of military contractors Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, and Lockheed Martin were emblazoned on the invitation as the event’s sponsors, below the official Ukrainian emblems and elegant blue script that said the Ukrainian ambassador and defense attaché “request the pleasure of your company.”
...
No one wanted to talk about the party invite, however. A senior official from the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington confirmed that the companies’ logos appeared on the invitation but declined to speak on the record. They directed me to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which did not immediately respond. Lockheed declined to officially comment and deferred to Ukraine House, an embassy-linked entity that was also listed on the invitation. Raytheon also declined to comment. Emails to Northrop Grumman and Pratt & Whitney were not returned."
Let's go, Brandon.
Way more than half of the defense budget is the cost of the people, fuel et al, not the equipment. There are absolutely ridiculous, socialist technology centers that do nothing, but cost a fortune. There are ridiculous military centers of excellence costing a fortune and churning out silly requirement after silly requirement, and accomplishing nothing, all while arguing and forcing private companies to provide data rights to the government, so that after you develop something, they can put it out to dirt-floor shops to build to print. In addition, they have happily bought cheap poorly-performing foreign equipment to secure golf games at St Andrews in Scotland (fortunately that game is about over).
I'll provide an example of the idiocy. We designed and provided a refrigerated storage and transport system for about 20 years. We never missed a delivery, and we reduced our price in EVERY round of solicitation. It was a model program.
The Army decided it needed to go to a small business, and took the drawing, including our IP and put it out to bid. They awarded to this business. Then the business couldn't perform, so the Army contracted with us to help the business succeed in building our equipment. In the end it cost more than our last set.
I could go on and on. The point is that the reason defense products cost so much is too much government, not defense contractors.
Also, the reason the defense contractors are supporting this Ukraine insanity to get sales is because Congress has (too much) the power to steal arbitrary money from the people and give it to them. This is not the fault of the defense contractors. They are just looking out for themselves, precisely as Ayn would have expected and encouraged. The problem is TOO MUCH POWER IN GOVERNMENT.
If government had only the original powers of the constitution there would be no trough
for the pigs and no temptation to big companies to have their (less connected,
sometimes more efficient) competition destroyed by unconstitutional regulations.
I do hate Raytheon and. NG though. They suck. LM is big, bet they behave.
(Don't worry, We The People has plenty of printed money to pay for all kinds of Schiff).
asking for a friend
America starves and freezes in the dark, our open borders are being overrun with 35 million + illegals aliens of unknown origin, whiles the Forth Riech running Congress clinks their booze glasses and plays their fiddles as the nation burns to the ground and funds billions to a Nazi nation's war against Russia.
We are soooo fucked. Oh yeah, BTW Merry Christmas.
Its not what it was during the founding of the country, and it will result in total failure of the country. No one will want to work, and everyone will want freebies.