Military Industrial Complex in Vietnam
On 26 July 1950, President Harry Truman approved a multi-million dollar military assistance package designed to help the French defeat a strong communist movement in French Indochina. The package included $15 million worth of military equipment and a small number of American military advisors assigned to supervise the flow of tanks, plans, artillery, and other equipment.1 By 1954, the United States government had provided 80% of the war supplies used by the French in Indochina which equated to about $3 billion.2 This marked the beginning of the United States involvement in Southeast Asia and the expansion of the military-industrial complex in America. This paper will explore the role the American military-industrial complex played as part of the Vietnam War. Advancements in technology have always occurred during times of war as nations develop new and more efficient ways of destroying each other. However, its possible that this formula works the other way around; companies develop new and more efficient weapons so that their goods will always have a place on the world market. Companies that manufacture military equipment rely on a strong demand for their products and the military relies on those companies to continue to furnish the equipment.3 This process is part of the embodiment of the military-industrial complex. The term “military-industrial complex” was popularized by President Dwight Eisenhower during his farewell address to the nation just a few days before he left office in January, 1961. In his address, Eisenhower warned, “…we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” However, Eisenhower’s description of the military-industrial complex is essentially incomplete. The government also plays an important role in the process. While most legislators act in accordance with the law, both in application and spirit, some members of Congress have been accused of catering
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