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military-industrial complex

military-industrial complex

19 7.0
A powerful group of armed forces and weapons makers that influence government decisions
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri ɪnˈdʌstrɪəl ˈkɒmplɛks/
  • Literature
translation icon : complejo militar-industrial
  • We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.
  • Russia's military-industrial complex

Couldn't wait to start a war so that the military industrial complex could highly profit off of it.

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Examples

  • With the end of the Cold War, the premise of the military-industrial complex is being redefined.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex.

  • If you think about what the industrial part is of the military industrial complex.

  • Only the military industrial complex could afford to build something this size.

  • Can you explain to us what the military industrial complex is and how the CIA plays a part in it?

  • They support the military industrial complex, but they do not support the men and women that serve.

  • The military-industrial complex once brought up to $3 billion annually to the budget.

  • In a number of countries, the "military-industrial complex" is among the most dynamic sectors in the economy.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Even Eisenhower, military hero of WWII, warned us about it: "beware the military-industrial complex," he said.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • During his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned about the potential dangers of the military-industrial complex and its influence on government policy.

Surface Forms

Morphology

military-industrial + complex

A learner who knows 'military' (armed forces), 'industrial' (related to industry) and a general sense of 'complex' as a cluster or interconnected group can plausibly infer this refers to a close relationship or network linking the armed forces and defence industries. However, the specialised political connotation — a powerful, institutionalised alliance exerting influence — is not fully predictable from the basic word meanings alone, so the expression is only partly transparent (and many languages have a comparable term, which aids but does not fully guarantee comprehension).

Etymology

Military-industrial complex comes from a warning by President Eisenhower. He pictured the military as the army and other forces and the industrial part as companies that make weapons joining into a powerful complex or group, so the phrase today means a strong network that can 'influence' government decisions.