A surprising group of protesters is
starting to voice concerns about the high level of spending on
the U.S. occupation of Iraq: the defense industry.
While many companies benefit from supplying vehicles and
guns to U.S. troops in Iraq, some defense firms and industry
experts are concerned that money spent on Iraq is taking away
from more lucrative, longer-term multibillion-dollar programs.
The result is some confusion over the Pentagon’s strategy,
and fears that the United States will end up with a “hollow
force” if it doesn’t fulfill its modernization plans.
“We’re spending $6 billion to $7 billion a month in Iraq –
that’s not efficient spending of defense money,” said Frank
Lanza, chief executive of defense company L-3 Communications
Holdings Inc., in an interview last week.
Other defense contractors are thinking the same thing, even
if they are not saying it in public, a leading defense analyst
added…. Rest of Article