The Devastating Impact of Unchecked Capitalism on National Security

Let’s examine the greedy and monopolistic practices that make America’s defense contractors the greatest threat to national security.

U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightening II with Eglin Air Force Base, Florida flies off the wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker with MacDill Air Force Base, Florida on December 16, 2021. The F-35 is the U.S. Air Force’s fifth-generation fighter and will replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tiffany A. Emery) Public domain

In the first half of 2023, military leaders at the Pentagon started sounding the alarm that our ammunition stockpiles were running dangerously low.

For many Americans, this news was alarming and unexpected.

NATO countries, as well as allied nations across Asia, have also been sending Ukraine the crucial ammunition it needs in its ongoing fight for survival.

Indeed, when the U.S. sent controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine, it was just a stopgap measure to help alleviate the shortage until more ammo could be produced or sourced from stockpiles.

If the war in Ukraine was not providing enough demand pressure on the U.S. supply, tensions in the Taiwan Strait put an exclamation point on the issue.

But the United States is a very rich nation. It should be able to just buy its way out of this, right?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation moved mountains to fast-track test kits and vaccine development — accomplishing in months what would typically take years. If the U.S. were facing an existential military crisis, it could no doubt ramp up…