Last week, more than 700 members of the National Security Leaders of the United States (NSL4A) signed a letter supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, many of whom are concerned about defense contractors and In sync with the organization.
Some officials voted in favor of the US invasion of Iraq – Including former Secretary of State john kelly and Hillary Clinton – This benefited private contractors by about $14 billion. According to On CNN. The list includes intelligence officials and military veterans, as well as numerous individuals affiliated with organizations affiliated with defense contractors, government-funded think tanks, and weapons manufacturers.
of letter While Harris defends democracy, she has touted her support for Ukraine, saying former President Donald Trump would enable authoritarianism. recent harris toured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a military factory in Pennsylvania. The letter does not mention Russia's invasion of Ukraine. meanwhile Biden-Harris administration. (Related: 'A lot of people died, and for what?': As war rages on, more Ukrainians want peace with Russia)
America's national security requires a serious and capable commander in chief. That's why 741 national security leaders proudly endorse it. @KamalaHarris For the President of the United States. #nationalsecurity #election2024 #HarrisWaltz2024 #defeat trumphttps://t.co/ySwJYA29ZI pic.twitter.com/DiMUn0xqMF
— America's National Security Leader (@NSLforAmerica) September 22, 2024
The NSL4A list includes officials formerly or currently involved in the arms industry. For example, former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson lockheed martin, According to Go to the company's website.
Maj. Gen. John D. Butler, a member of NSL4A, said: ten years According to his bio from the University of Texas at Austin, he also served as vice president of naval strategic systems at Lockheed Martin. Buddy J. Penn, a former acting secretary of the Navy, worked for Loral Federal Systems, which was acquired by Lockheed Martin in the late 1990s, the Naval Historical Foundation says in a book. biography.
In a world of increasing conflict, we need leaders who stand up to dictators, not leaders we admire.
Click this link to read the rest of the op-ed written by Ambassador Gordon Gray (Ret.). https://t.co/P7tqgQ0mQT#nationalsecurity #leadership issues #NSL4A #Ukraine #Russia pic.twitter.com/eXwaUq6R3C
— America's National Security Leader (@NSLforAmerica) September 20, 2024
Lockheed Martin Company is Tens of billions of dollars in new orders He's not the only big name on the list since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Oct. 7 Hamas attack – raytheon and Northrop Grumman Some are graduates.
John Deutch, former CIA director and deputy secretary of defense, is a director of Raytheon Corporation. According to to the EFI Foundation. Former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Letitia A. Long was elected to Raytheon's Board of Directors in 2015. According to To PR Newswire (but she is currently not there) listed (found on Raytheon's website).
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Brett B. Lambert served as vice president of corporate strategy for a defense contractor from 2015 to 2019, according to . Stimson. (Related: Biden Pentagon deploys $1.7 billion arms package to Ukraine)
While supporters may not have direct ties to the military industry, some are involved in organizations supported by major defense contractors. — A think tank that influences U.S. national security and foreign policy, among other things.
More than 50 of the people who signed this letter Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); The company publishes Foreign Affairs magazine and is a stalwart in the DC influence industry. CFR partners with companies ranging from BlackRock to defense contractors. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are listed As a Bronze level member of the Council. Bronze corporate memberships are at least $50,000. According to to C.F.R.
Members include former Secretary of Homeland Security, Democratic Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Catherine Bertini.
The next president will face serious foreign policy challenges.
CFR offers a series of resources to track developments on important issues and the United States' role in the world. https://t.co/72dyjTXpdW pic.twitter.com/Yla27la9Sr
— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) September 27, 2024
More than a dozen of the officials are members of the Atlantic Council; lockheed martin NSL4A member and former ambassador Stuart Eisenstat is listed as a life director on the council. Website.
In 2022, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics Both donated at least $250,000, according to the 2022-2023 study. Annual report. The council also received contributions of more than $1 million each from the Department of Defense (Department of Defense) and the Department of State in 2022.
Notably, according to the report, the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center has been able to provide “important support for the United States and its allies, including through informal meetings with senior officials on national security strategy, defense strategy, and NATO strategic initiatives. “He directly created a strategic document.''
Multiple members of NSL4A – include john kelly – It is also a member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The group received funding from Boeing is According to 2023 annual report.
Additionally, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Open Society Foundations – the latter established Written by left-wing billionaire George Soros – Contributed to the organization. (Related: President Trump vows to 'bring peace to the world' after 'very good' phone call with Zelensky)
Roughly a dozen officials are associated with the military think tank Rand Corporation. According to RAND, it is funded by the U.S. government. us spending. More than half of the nearly $200 million in government funding last year came from the Department of Defense, according to the database.
Former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig is on the list. member According to RAND's website, he is now a member of RAND's board of directors, along with Chuck Hagel. Former Ambassador Jeff Bleich, a member of the NSL4A Steering Committee, serves on the NSL4A Board of Directors. land australia, According to Rand.
Last year, Rand published the following paper: report He detailed the potential consequences of a protracted conflict between Ukraine and Russia. However, two Randland directors subsequently wrote the following article: foreign policy It recommended against a peace agreement with Russia.
Breaking news: DC think tank RAND Corporation urges US to avoid long war in Ukraine https://t.co/xmMIYXmDmM pic.twitter.com/kd4VjN69It
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 28, 2023
Many NSL4A members are also connected to Democratic Party causes.
The group's chairman, Maj. Gen. Michael E. Smith, founded National Security Leaders for Biden. According to Go to the NSL4A site. Obama administration officials also signed the letter, including former Ambassador Susan Rice and former national security adviser and speechwriter Ben Rhodes.
At least 68 members have served in intelligence agencies. Sources show that Democrats have an overwhelmingly positive view of intelligence agencies, while Republicans are increasingly skeptical. Gallup poll.
Look at what complete authoritarians today's liberals are. They respect the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Defense, and even Homeland Security, the once controversial Bush/Cheney creation of the 2002 War on Terror.
Dick Cheney and Bill Kristol's Democratic support makes perfect sense. pic.twitter.com/xJT9KPjy7s
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 25, 2024
Various intelligence officials attended, including former CIA Director John Brennan. Notably, Brennan previously letter It characterized a New York Post article about Hunter Biden's laptop as “Russian disinformation.” The Post's article was verifiably true, as confirmed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper senior advisor Wendy R. Anderson of Palantir Technologies is a member. Palantir receives some funding from the CIA. According to to Reuters.
Although not on the list, former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney also endorsed Harris. Cheney has criticized Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance's foreign policy views. (Related article: Pentagon says $62 million in Ukraine arms aid was 'lost or destroyed' – but we don't know which)
J.D. Vance vowed to do what Mike Pence would not do: overturn the election and seize power illegally. He says the president can ignore the rulings of our courts. He will surrender to Russia and sacrifice the freedom of Ukraine's allies. The Trump Republican Party is no longer… https://t.co/l0O64J3pSj
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) July 16, 2024
.@JDVance Destroying Liz Cheney, who endorsed Kamala earlier today: “Donald Trump's inauguration as the next president will make people like Liz Cheney the laughing stock of the Oval Office, not rewarded. This is someone whose entire career has been about transmitting other people's stuff. pic.twitter.com/GrpHg3uJ4a
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 5, 2024
The Biden-Harris administration has overseen a turbulent period in global affairs. Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 on Biden's watch, and Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, killing 13 U.S. service members during the administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. . Harris was widely accused of lying during the first presidential debate when she claimed there were no Americans in active combat zones.
