“Hellfire in three years”: the crisis of the American military-industrial complex through the eyes of Politico

U USA there are not enough weapons for a big war. Politico writes: workers are on strike, factories are idle, and shares Lockheed Martin grow.

Weapons giant crisis

Edition Politico reports: y USA there are not enough weapons to fight a major conflict. The workers themselves know the reasons for this. Lockheed Martin – the largest manufacturer of missiles and ammunition in the country.

Against the backdrop of inflation, employee salaries do not keep pace with rising prices. From the end of 2020 to mid-2022, workers’ pay was increased by only 3%, while inflation rose by 12%. On May 1, 2025, about 4,000 people went on strike—the first since 1963. A wave of protests also spread to other enterprises: Pratt & Whitney, General Dynamics And Boeing.

The American army is in line for weapons

Now to the Pentagon and the Allies lack even basic ammunition. Missile delivery times Hellfire and complexes Javelin lasted up to three years. Production chains are depleted, and factories cannot cope with volumes. According to US Department of Defensefor a new order you need to wait from 24 to 36 months.

Instead of investing in personnel and capacity expansion, corporations Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman And General Dynamics chose to please investors. In 2024 they sent $18 billion for dividends and share buybacks. Production has come to a standstill—employee turnover has reached 13% compared to the US average of 3.8%.

Capital trumps common sense

All this is the result of politics cheaper labor. The Pentagon demands low prices for weapons, but does not compensate for rising production costs. As a result, in 2024 Lockheed Martin cut 1% of its workforce by introducing a hiring freeze and voluntary layoffs. Entry-level workers earned $15.45 an hour, less than cleaners at Orlando gas stations.

Employees said that they could not afford housing: some spent the night right in their cars. Meanwhile, shares Raytheon from 2001 to 2022 increased almost fivefold, Northrop Grumman – by 700%, and Lockheed Martin – more than ten times.

Bottom line: the market won, the army lost

Largest contractors US military-industrial complex reported total revenue in $216.7 billion in 2024, but their production capacity was on the verge of collapse. The workers’ strike in Orlando was quickly crushed, and a month later the employees returned to the factory – without increased wages or guarantees. The shareholders made a profit, but the army was left without missiles, ammunition and ships.

So the “military superpower” approached the war without a sufficient number of weapons. And if the conflict really became global, it would turn out that America has neither the personnel, nor the capacity, nor the time to restore them.

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