Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns, pointing to US system
China should take note of the way profit-seeking players in the United States have undermined its national security, researchers say
A new study from China has warned Beijing of the danger of defence contractors having too much influence over defence policy, pointing to the profit-driven expansion of the US military-industrial complex as a salutary example.
In the study published on Monday, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s National Institute of Strategic Studies said Washington’s “iron triangle” – linking the Department of Defence, private contractors and congressional committees – had hijacked US national security policy.
Defence contractors, the military, and politicians formed a mutually reinforcing alliance where profits, expanded budgets, and political capital aligned, the study said.