How Lockheed Got Too Big to Fail

Lockheed Martin is a big business in the military industrial complex. The largest government contractor in the United States and the most massive arms producing & military services company in the world. The American Army, Navy and Air Force all rely on Lockheed's technologies. They employ over 114,000 people of which 60,000 are engineers and scientist. They did 47 billion dollars worth of business with the US government in the year 2021. Lockheed is the reason why the American military is two generations ahead of their adversaries guaranteeing security around the world.

Written by: Chris Cappy & Josh Simpson
Edited by: Michael M

Lockheed Martin creates everything from fighter jets to high tech javelin missile systems. But unlike other countries like Russia and China where their defense industry is entirely owned by the government….Lockheed Martin is a publicly traded company. Forcing us to ask some difficult questions about the military industrial complex. Nuclear weapons, submarines, and aerospace and GPS are all in their preview.

Task & Purpose is a military news and culture oriented channel. We want to foster discussion about the defense industry.

#BUSINESS #HISTORY #MILITARY

[nutsships]

Our "average infantryman"  sure has done a lot of research above his pay grade in the defense industry for us, and for that we are appreciative of our "average infantryman's" efforts and results . Thanks Chris for all you do.

[failuretocommunicate]

I know I've heard somebody say, "you can't always tell where Lockheed stops and the government begins."

[tonyraffetto]

I used to work for Lockheed Martin. The corporate culture there was very strict. They used to watch over your shoulder to make sure that you used a scale to weigh out the toppings for every single pizza. And greater number the toppings a pizza had, the less of each topping you were supposed to weigh out. Wait, was that Lockheed Martin? I think it might have been Dominos

[michaelman]

The Admiral's criticism of "Privatizing profits and socializing losses" is exactly the right criticism. I'm a bug free market guy, but when the government bails a company out like they did with Lockheed and starts using taxpayer dollars to prop up a company, it stops being a free market and stops being capitalism. People blame capitalism for the military industrial complex keeping wars going, but such problems wouldn't be possible without the government being in on it.

[locklanh]

Hey Cappy I wanna say I love these longer, more critical dives into contemporary military topics that you've been doing more lately. So refreshing to hear someone with experience in the military recognise that while these are complex issues, there are clearly problems with the military industrial complex and the way it is intertwined with government. Keep it up!

[gabe]

As someone from a US ally state I appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in making these videos and how they frame these issues in a relatively fair point of view

[gumpreeengthegumpreeeng]

From flying boats to Stealth fighter aircraft

Lockheed is impressive

[ponz-]

Bro Ike Eisenhower warned us about all this. An ex military general and supreme commander of allied forces came out and said WE need to be aware of outside influences along with influence from our own military industrial complex

[garrettharriman]

I'm really proud of your bravery, Cappy. I'm sure the Military Industrial Complex has no intention of making you disappear.

[matty_muerte]

I'm really liking the amount of time and effort you guys are putting into researching these topics. It really shows

[charlesf.]

I have NEVER heard Eisenhowers full quote!!!! Totally different meaning with that second part!

[callenclarke]

Chris, this is the best thing you've done. This is exactly where I'm at, ideologically speaking. Not partisan, but seeking the truth. Your work is nuanced, well-thought out, and compelling.

Most of what I see on Youtube is over-simplified and deterministic. The Leftist and Rightist biases are only too evident, and I often feel like I'd do better taking a dramamine before I watch. I'm so used to it, I don't even think about the myopia of these pieces when I hit the like button, which I do, because my expectations are low.

But I want to take all those likes back now. This is what defense reporting _should_ be. No one is a bigger admirer of Lockheed's history than me. Clarence Johnson was a legend. Everybody knows this. But there are real issues at stake here, and we cannot afford to turn a blind eye.

Well done and keep up the great work!

[andrewmaneford]

Really really appreciate you talking about the full context of Eisenhower's MIC speech, many others choose to ignore the most important part after it.

[leeming]

You're reports are exceptionally good.
I look forward to them all,
I think you do a great jobs of sharing both sides of a story.
Reminds me of the late-night television of smart men talking in front of a black screen.
Thanks for the insights Cappie!

[billbrockman]

Living a few miles from the birthplace of every C-130 in the world, I have a warm feeling for Lockheed. I drilled at the adjoining Air Reserve Base for 15 years.

[authormikemontie]

You do an awesome job presenting interesting and important information Chris. You put the mainstream media's so called, "investigative reporters" to shame.

[kenfowler]

Brilliant article! Same has happened here in Australia. the only difference is the Australian tax payer owned our defence industries and our governments sold them off (to foreign owned corporations). Now we are engaged in the biggest defence spending ever! And at the same time everything else is falling apart!
Thanks for again showing the risks of the Military Industrial complex.
Cheers

[petesheppard]

A nicely balanced overview, despite some historical errors about aircraft. They are doing essential work, but they are people who need oversight.
Have you considered a similar video on Boeing and its relationship with McDonnell-Douglas? That is an interesting series of acquisitions and mergers.

[TheSuperhomosapien]

"The Power Elite" by C. Wright Mills is an often overlooked work that is even more relevant today that when it was published in 1956 and probably had influence on Eisenhower's 1961 farewell address when he addresses the Industrial Military Complex.

[josesaidwhat]

Lockheed is a private company but many who work and manage for them are former military. The truth is lockheed is only a few government documents away from being a government agency.