ABSTRACT
Long before 9/11, nearly every aspect of the American way of life began to depend on, entwine with, or suffer from a massive investment in arms and armies. This chapter describes the scale and uses of the US military; outlines its broad social, economic, and political impact, especially within the United States. It then enquires what beliefs and social processes contribute to Americans' inability to see the gargantuan US military as a massive and enduring problem. The US military is far and away the country's largest employer, leaving Walmart, the Postal Service, and General Motors in the dust. Since the early twentieth century, American military dollars have gone to hire industrial, scientific, and technical workers who design and produce weapons. The elements of the US arsenal are produced by some of the nation's largest and most profitable corporations, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell International, and United Technologies.
