Who Profits From War?

"Only the dead have seen the end of war" -

We often hear about big industrial companies profiting from war. Seldom do we hear of the individuals who profit from war.

The individuals on the assembly line of an industrial company that make bombs, bullets, radar, airplanes, ships, missiles, tanks, helmets, night goggles, food rations, medical kits, and on and on,- the millions of items needed for a war, helps the worker making those items profit from the war.

Other profits come from the published memoirs by those who participated in the death, debt, and destruction of war. Former CIA Director George Tenet's just-published, best-selling memoirs, At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA earned him four million dollars!

Other big winners in the war racket are the media. The networks and newspapers can sell more newspapers if there is something dramatic to write about, such as war. More newspapers mean more advertising revenue. News media editors and producers hate a slow news day. How many hours can the talking heads on TV mention the latest divorce of some celebrity? In the world of 24 hour news, war is a good way to fill the time.

Some other big profiteers of war are the reporters who cover wars. Covering a war looks great on their resume. They profit from war because they get their names and faces shown to millions of readers and viewers. Young reporters will ride their war experiences for the rest of their career. Some reporters from World War II and Vietnam earned huge sums during their careers based on their coverage of war. Neophyte reporters know a way to enhance their careers is to cover some war.

Military personnel profit from war because it means promotions. Most military personnel do not fight in wars. There are usually 5 to 6 support personnel for each combat person, so many military personnel know they will not be in danger, but will gain promotions. Alexis de Tocqueville said in a democracy, war was a way for the lower and middle class to join the military and increase their upward mobility in social and economic class.

Charles Tolleson