Obama said he would maintain minimal U.S. military presence in Iraq to keep ISIS at bay. With the militant group being as impassioned and violent as they are, there is some speculation as to how the U.S. will effectively maintain order in the Middle East. That has led the belief that there will be increased reliance of military contractors and defense developers.
Fortune reported that a number of defense companies stand to get a large payday as a result of the brewing ISIS conflict. Being that Obama wants to avoid the use of ground troops, “the drone builders are going to have field day,” said Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon Comptroller.
General Atomics is one such builder. The company created the original Predator drone system and the Reaper air-to-ground attack system, both of which are heavily used in U.S. military air strike missions. Northrop Grumman, a big-time contractor for the U.S. military, creates landscape surveying equipment that the military will surely use for reconnaissance missions in the fight against ISIS.
Another company looking to reap the benefits of war for profit is Lockheed Martin, the avionics company that makes the Hellfire missile, which is fired from the Predator drone systems.
Since mid-June, anti-ISIS American military operations have cost the country around $600 million, and Obama is asking Congress for an additional $500 million to train and arm pro-America, Syrian rebels.
The opinions on the Beltway do not matter here. Whether politicians support or oppose military action in Iraq is a non-factor among the industrial military complex. Minimal ground troops? Defense contractors have money-making solutions for that. All-out ground war? Defense contractors have money-making solutions for that.
While soldiers in the Middle East are hearing gunshots and bomb explosions, the defense executives are hearing the ding of cash registers.
