1) Defense Policy Board

The Center for Public Integrity's special report on defense contractor to the Defense Policy Board
found that of the 30 members of the Defense Policy Board, the government-appointed group that advises the Pentagon, at least nine have ties to companies that won more than $76 billion in defense contracts in 2001 and 2002. Four members are registered lobbyists, one of whom represents two of the three largest defense contractors.

One member, Richard Perle (see American Enterprise Institute) has resigned as chairman, although he will remain a member of the board.

Perle has been a highly visible advocate of the war in Iraq. He was criticized for seeking defense-related consulting business while heading the board, which advises the defense secretary on a range of policy and strategic issues. In particular, Perle secured a $125,000 fee for his consulting work, plus the potential for $600,000 more, from Global Crossing Ltd., the bankrupt telecommunications firm that was seeking Pentagon permission to cut a deal with a Chinese firm. (The Defense Department had objected to the deal on national-security grounds.)

According to documents prepared by Global Crossing to explain the deal to the bankruptcy court, $600,000 of Perle's fee would only be paid if the company obtained approval from the Pentagon. The documents cited Perle's defense-board chairmanship as a reason for hiring him. Rep. John Conyers wrote the Inspector General of the Defense Department asking for an investigation

2) DOD's Total Information Awareness Program

See the Electronic Privacy Information Center's (EPIC) TIA webpage
Also see a list of TIA contractors (compiled by EPIC).

Read a related story by Adam Mayle and Alex Knott for the Multinational Monitor

3) Defense Contractors

Long-term defense contractor political contributions (Center for Responsive Politics):

Top Contributors (Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, etc.)

4) Links Related to The Cost of War:

Fourth Freedom Forum report by Bill Hartung,
"The Costs of the New Military Buildup"
http://www.fourthfreedom.org/php/p-index.php?hinc=Hartung_report.hinc

Taxpayers for Common Sense: cost of war to be $110 billion this year and as much $550 billion over the next decade:
http://www.taxpayer.net/TCS/PressReleases/03-24-03IraqReportrelease.htm

5) General Defense Links:

Arms Trade Resource Center www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms
Center for Defense Information: www.cdi.org
Federation of American Scientists: www.fas.org
Defense Tech http://defensetech.blogspot.com/

Last Updated April 3, 2003