#424 – Bassem Youssef: Israel-Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, Middle East, Satire & Fame
Lex Fridman Podcast
Efficiency and Profiteering in the Military-Industrial Complex
The United States military utilizes various weapons like drones and lasers, managed by individuals comfortably behind screens, resembling a massive Xbox game. A significant portion of the defense budget, nearly 68%, totaling almost $850 billion annually, is allocated to unnecessary weapons due to contracts. An example revealed in a 60 Minutes segment illustrated how weapon companies inflate prices, such as a safety valve selling for $9,000 instead of its previous price of $329. This profiteering extends to critical components like the stinger missile, originally priced at $25,000 but now sold for $400,000, impacting military operations such as grounding the Apache fleet in Iraq because of a single overpriced valve.
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