military-industrial complex

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military-industrial complex

Also known as: Pentagon system

Written by Rachel N. Weber

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 4, 2024 • Article History

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Farewell Address

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Category: History & Society

Key People:: Vannevar Bush

Related Topics:: defense

On the Web:: Hoover Institution - The Military-Industrial Complex (Apr. 04, 2024)

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military-industrial complex, network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies. The military-industrial complex in a country typically attempts to marshal political support for continued or increased military spending by the national government. The term military-industrial complex was first used by U.S. Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower in his Farewell Address on January 17, 1961. Eisenhower warned that the United States must “guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence…by the military-industrial complex,” which included members of Congress from districts dependent on military industries, the Department of Defense (along with the military services), and privately owned military ...(100 of 829 words)

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