The Military-Industrial Complex

In his January 1961 farewell address, Eisenhower argued that permanent armaments production and a vast defense establishment had become structurally embedded in American life. He warned against their unwarranted influence on policy and democratic judgment.

The warning carried unusual authority because it came from a five-star general who had presided over a nuclear-armed Cold War state. It did not reject defense, but demanded informed citizens and institutional balance capable of checking concentrated power.