{"id":33168,"date":"2026-09-24T04:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=33168"},"modified":"2026-09-24T04:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:26:47","slug":"lifestyles-of-the-rich-famous-war-profiteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=33168","title":{"rendered":"Lifestyles of the Rich &#038; Famous War Profiteers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"-mt-2.5 mb-[30px] md:mb-[34px] border border-[#eee] pt-[9px] pb-2 px-3 text-[16px] font-sans leading-[24px] text-body flex gap-[15px]\">\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-[46px] mt-1.5 object-cover rounded-full overflow-hidden shrink-0 md:hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BEN-FREEMAN-QI-HeadshotBW-e1790191410450.jpeg\" width=\"46\" height=\"46\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ben Freeman is director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute and co-author of \u201c<a class=\"external-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-trillion-dollar-war-machine-how-runaway-military-spending-drives-america-into-foreign-wars-and-bankrupts-us-at-home-ben-freeman\/e7d4a2e1b1867765?ean=9781645030652&amp;next=t&amp;digital=t&amp;affiliate=95814\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">The Trillion Dollar War Machine<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<!-- BLOCK(oembed)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Ciframe%20title%3D%5C%22Lords%20of%20War%5C%22%20width%3D%5C%221200%5C%22%20height%3D%5C%22675%5C%22%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.youtube.com%5C%2Fembed%5C%2FTiERu1r4Cio%3Ffeature%3Doembed%5C%22%20frameborder%3D%5C%220%5C%22%20allow%3D%5C%22accelerometer%3B%20autoplay%3B%20clipboard-write%3B%20encrypted-media%3B%20gyroscope%3B%20picture-in-picture%3B%20web-share%5C%22%20referrerpolicy%3D%5C%22strict-origin-when-cross-origin%5C%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C%5C%2Fiframe%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.youtube.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.youtube.com%5C%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTiERu1r4Cio%22%7D) --><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lords of War\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TiERu1r4Cio?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[0] -->\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article and video are being co-published with <a href=\"https:\/\/responsiblestatecraft.org\/lords-of-war\/\">Responsible Statecraft<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"has-underline\">For the first<\/span> time, the Pentagon budget topped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/military-defense-spending-budget-series\">$1 trillion<\/a>, and private contractors now receive <a href=\"https:\/\/quincyinst.org\/2025\/07\/08\/new-research-military-contractors-received-over-half-of-pentagon-spending-since-2020\/\">more than half<\/a> of all the tax dollars flowing to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few have profited from this privatization of the U.S. military more than the CEOs of Pentagon contractors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While these companies often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ispot.tv\/ad\/ZlSN\/lockheed-martin-f-35-lightning-2-mission-ready-interoperable-and-combat-proven\">advertise<\/a> their work as supporting the troops, the fact is that many service members live in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pogo.org\/fact-sheets\/fact-sheet-how-housing-conditions-are-failing-military-families\">appalling<\/a> housing conditions, while military\u2013industrial contractors\u2019 profits soar and their CEOs live in luxury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lavish lifestyles of these CEOs is laid bare in the new mockumentary \u201cLords of War,\u201d co-produced by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and The Intercept, that lampoons an industry held aloft by hundreds of billions of public funds every year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLords of War\u201d connects <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/10\/27\/pentagon-budget-book-spoils-war-andrew-cockburn\/\">exorbitant<\/a> Pentagon <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2022\/12\/07\/ukraine-weapons-russia-china-ndaa\/\">spending<\/a> to the luxury enjoyed by the CEOs of its top contractors. As the film notes, Lockheed Martin is regularly the largest recipient of Pentagon contracts, raking in $75 billion in revenue in 2025 \u2014 more than 72 percent of which came from the U.S. government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As \u201cLords of War\u201d\u2019s faux real estate aficionado explains, Lockheed\u2019s CEOs have used their $20-million-plus compensation packages to buy luxury real estate from the D.C. suburbs to the shores of Miami.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite its care-free tone, the film highlights very real problems within the military\u2013industrial complex. As <a href=\"https:\/\/costsofwar.watson.brown.edu\/paper\/profits-war-top-beneficiaries-pentagon-spending-2020-2024\">research<\/a> by William Hartung and Stephen Semler for Brown University\u2019s Costs of War Project showed, 54 percent of the Pentagon\u2019s annual spending now goes to private contractors \u2014 up from 41 percent in the 1990s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top Pentagon contractors\u2019 revenues and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/08\/16\/afghanistan-war-defense-stocks\/\">stock prices<\/a> also skyrocketed as they\u2019ve begun to devour an ever-larger share of the military budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They converted their revenue from the military into line items on their own budgets that do nothing to improve U.S. national security: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/industries\/lobbying?cycle=2024&amp;ind=D\">armies of lobbyists<\/a> that now outnumber all members of Congress by a nearly 2-to-1 margin; billions of dollars in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warren.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/warren-hawley-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-limit-stock-buybacks-in-defense-contracting-following-president-trumps-executive-order\/\">stock buybacks<\/a>; and, of course, CEO compensation packages on par with those of NFL quarterbacks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(cta)[0] --><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contrast of these CEOs\u2019 rock-star lifestyles \u2014 \u201cLords of War\u201d reveals that one chief executive bought Lenny Kravitz\u2019s Miami mansion \u2014 with those of the military service members they purport to serve is striking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the film notes, former Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson received $33.7 million in compensation in 2015, which is more than 150 times as much as the average compensation package for an enlisted service member. While Hewson and other Pentagon contractor CEOs have been buying up mansions, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/system\/files\/2026-06\/62260-Military-Compensation.pdf\">basic pay<\/a> of service members has been relatively stagnant for the past 20 years when controlling for inflation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-embed flex-col items-center print:hidden\" id=\"third-party--article-mid\" data-module=\"InlineNewsletter\" data-module-source=\"web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\">\n<div class=\"-mx-5 sm:-mx-10 p-5 sm:px-10 xl:-ml-5 lg:mr-0 xl:px-5 bg-accentLight hidden\" data-name=\"subscribed\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-light uppercase text-[30px] leading-8 text-white tracking-[0.01em] mb-0\">\n      We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us.    <\/h2>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=523948&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F09%2F24%2Fwar-weapons-profits-lockheed-rtx-ceos%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"border border-white !text-white font-mono uppercase p-5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 hover:bg-white hover:!text-accentLight focus:bg-white focus:!text-accentLight\" data-name=\"donateCTA\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n      Become a member      <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"group default w-full px-5 hidden\" data-name=\"unsubscribed\">\n<div class=\"px-5 border-[10px] border-accentLight\">\n<div class=\"bg-white -my-2.5 relative block px-4 md:px-5\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-body text-[30px] font-bold tracking-[0.01em] leading-8 mb-0 xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Join Our Newsletter          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Thank You For Joining!          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-[27px] mb-3.5 font-bold text-accentLight tracking-[0.01em] leading-[29px] font-sans xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you.          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?          <\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=523948&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F09%2F24%2Fwar-weapons-profits-lockheed-rtx-ceos%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"group-[.default]:hidden border border-accentLight text-accentLight font-sans px-5 py-3.5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 text-[20px] font-bold\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n          Become a member          <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-sans text-accentLight text-[10px] leading-[13px] text-balance [&amp;_a]:text-accentLight [&amp;_a]:font-bold [&amp;_a:hover]:underline group-[.subscribed]:hidden\">\n<p>By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/terms-use\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(newsletter)[0] --><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worse, the conditions service members have been living in are deteriorating. A 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-25-106208\">report<\/a> from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that two-thirds of service members think their housing is unaffordable. And service members often face \u201clong commutes, leave families behind in other states, and work 2 jobs to afford housing,\u201d according to the GAO report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A July 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/press-releases\/new-sen-ossoffs-investigation-uncovers-dangerous-conditions-in-privatized-military-housing-on-ft-benning-ft-stewart\/\">Senate investigation<\/a>, meanwhile, revealed dangerous living conditions at military bases in Georgia, including \u201creports of lead exposure affecting newborn health, severe mold contamination leading to emergency room visits, flooding in living areas, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wartime environments have been no better, as evidenced by the deplorable conditions \u2014 including food shortages and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/09\/15\/iran-war-us-military-bases\/\">inoperable plumbing<\/a> \u2014 during the USS Abraham Lincoln\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/20\/us\/politics\/uss-abraham-lincoln-iran.html\">extended deployment<\/a> near Iran, which ultimately led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/08\/11\/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say\/\">multiple sailors<\/a> to attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/news\/navy-sailor-jumped-overboard-uss-lincoln-discipline-punishment\">jump overboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, it\u2019s your tax dollars that are paying for this gaping chasm between the lives of contractor CEOs and the troops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLords of War\u201d is one of the few films about military\u2013industrial complex that you find hilarious, but its subject is no laughing matter. The <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2022\/12\/07\/ukraine-weapons-russia-china-ndaa\/\">private firms we\u2019re entrusting<\/a> with U.S. national security are doing more to <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/08\/16\/afghanistan-war-defense-stocks\/\">defend their own share prices<\/a> than they are to <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/10\/27\/pentagon-budget-book-spoils-war-andrew-cockburn\/\">defend the nation<\/a>. If we keep trusting this <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/11\/07\/military-spending-pentagon-afghanistan\/\">broken system<\/a> to keep us safe, then, ultimately, the joke is on us.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>#Lifestyles #Rich #Famous #War #Profiteers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben Freeman is director of the&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[246],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}