"We Need Enemies" To Fuel the Military-Industrial Complex: CIA Officer (1987)

John Stockwell was a former CIA officer who became a vocal critic of the military-industrial complex. Born in 1937, Stockwell served as a Marine Corps officer in the 1950s before joining the CIA in 1964. During his 13 years with the agency, Stockwell served in multiple capacities, including as chief of the Angola Task Force in the 1970s.

In 1977, Stockwell resigned from the CIA and became a whistleblower, speaking out against the agency's covert actions in Angola and other countries. He also became a critic of the military-industrial complex, a term coined by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1961.

In his book "The Praetorian Guard: The US Role in the New World Order," published in 1991, Stockwell argued that the military-industrial complex had become a powerful force in American society, exerting undue influence over government policy and perpetuating a cycle of endless war. He described the complex as a "permanent war economy" that relied on conflict to sustain itself, and argued that it had become so deeply entrenched that it was virtually impossible to dismantle.

Stockwell was particularly critical of the role played by private military contractors, such as the infamous Blackwater USA, which he saw as an embodiment of the military-industrial complex. He argued that these companies had a vested interest in maintaining a state of perpetual war, and that they had become so powerful that they were essentially beyond the control of the government.

Throughout his career as a whistleblower and critic of the military-industrial complex, Stockwell was an outspoken advocate for transparency and accountability in government. He argued that the American people had a right to know what their government was doing in their name, and that the only way to rein in the power of the military-industrial complex was to shine a light on its activities.

Today, Stockwell's critique of the military-industrial complex remains as relevant as ever. As the United States continues to wage endless wars around the world, and as private military contractors continue to exert increasing influence over government policy, his call for transparency and accountability is more urgent than ever.