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A weapons industry trade group that represents companies including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon is thrilled about President Joe Bidens nominee for the role of lead weapons buyer for the U.S. military. In astatement released November 30, Arnold Punaro, board chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), which calls itself atrade association for the defense industrial base, proclaimed that the president made the superb choice of nominating Dr. Bill LaPlante to be the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition andsustainment.

LaPlante is being poached directly from the military industry that is praising him, which he entered after serving in an acquisitions role under the Obama administration, where he was known for shepherding through major (and controversial) programs, such as the acquisition of the F35 fighterjet.

By moving from government to industry, then back to government (should the Senate confirm him), all while the weapons industry cheers, LaPlante has spun through awell-trodden revolving doora career trajectory that is entirely routine, but nonethelessscandalous.

In aNovember 30 White House statement, President Biden praised LaPlante as a seasoned national security leader with nearly four decades of experience in acquisition, technology, sustainment and the defense industrial base. The president is nominating LaPlante for the role of Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Department of Defense, which has been vacant since Ellen Lord stepped down from the position inJanuary.

LaPlante is currently the president and chief executive officer of Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, acontractor for the U.S. military, where he has served since 2020. As recently as November 2, the company announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force as one of 55 contractors on adigital engineering contract that aims to increase the services ability to work on digital designs of its future platforms. The price tag is massive, potentially amounting to $46 billion over 11years, according to thecompany.

This is just one of numerous contracts with the U.S. military held by Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. The most recent one was announced just 13days before Biden announced the nomination ofLaPlante.

Before Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, LaPlante served as senior vice president and general manager of the Center for National Security at the MITRE Corporation, which also contracts with the U.S.military.

But perhaps most telling is LaPlantes role as Obamas Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2014 to 2017. During his tenure, LaPlante prioritized three weapons programs: Northrop Grummans B21 Long Range Strike-Bomber, Lockheed Martins F35 fighter jets, and Boeings KC-46 tankers, which are used to refuel B52 bombers and other aerial attack vessels (though they have atroubled history).

The NDIA, which represents all of the manufacturers of the previously mentioned weapons systems, released astatement gushing about Bidens nomination of LaPlante, and urging his quick confirmation. Punaro, board chairman of the NDIA, said on November 30, LaPlante has awealth of experience in government service and the responsibilities of this position. We urge his speedyconfirmation.

The relationship between LaPlante and Punaro is not new. In 2014, Punaro introduced LaPlante, then serving on the Obama administration, at an Atlantic Council event that was co-sponsored by NDIA. He praised LaPlantes strong leadership, calling him a doer, not aditherer. Punaro emphasized, Hes atrue believer in the two-way street withindustry.

At the 2014 event, LaPlante identified the B21, F35 and KC-46 programs as the priorities of his tenure, saying they are critical to the future of the Air Force literally for decades to come. He emphasized his partnerships and frequent communication with CEOs of weapons companies, addressing by name those gathered in theroom.

Upon nominating him, Biden praised LaPlantes role in advancing these weapons programs, singling out the fact that he forged apath forward on the B21 bomber. The development, production and operation of this program is expected to cost $200 billion over the course of 30years. (The program is still in the engineeringstage.)

The U.S. acquisition of F35s, meanwhile, has been the subject of fierce protests over the fighter jets environmental harms, human toll and astronomical costs. In 2019, aspokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, the name of the U.S. military campaign against ISIS, boasted that F35s and F15s had been used to drop 80,000pounds of bombs on Iraqs Qanus Island, located in the Salah ad DinProvince.

Punaro isnt the only weapons industry representative happy about LaPlantes nomination. Herbert Hawk Carlisle, head of the NDIA, told Defense News, Bill would be an outstanding [acquisition and sustainment] leader. He has agreat background and understanding of the industry, which also has ahigh and deep respect forhim.

LaPlante is in good company. In July, the president announced the nomination of Andrew Hunter, also an Obama administration Department of Defense alum, for the role of assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics. Hunter is asenior fellow for the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, athink tank that receives funding from weapons companies, including Lockheed Martin and Boeing. (Weapons companies often fund think tanks that advance industry policy objectives, through amore academic and seemingly above the fray approach.) Biden has also nominated Gabe Carmarillo, senior vice president of the Army business unit for Science Applications International Corp., aweapons manufacturer, for the role of undersecretary of theArmy.

NDIA is urging the swift confirmation of these nominees aswell.

Direct military industry ties go all the way up the Biden administrations cabinet: The Secretary of Defense, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, served on the board of directors for Raytheon. What makes LaPlantes connections so noteworthy is just how unremarkable his nomination isany controversy about his industry ties has been entirely absent from publicdiscourse.

Its dubious that there is such athing as a good buyer of weapons for the U.S. military, arguably the most violent institution on Earth. But the fact that the next prospective one is drowning in military industry largesse, reveals agreat deal about what keeps this institution growingand whobenefits.

As Alex Y. Ding, co-director of organizing at Dissenters, ayouth anti-militarism organization, puts it, Executives representing U.S. military contractors, including Draper Laboratories LaPlante, are often tapped to be in high level positions in the Pentagon, or in government departments that oversee security and defense. And our elected officials empower them by writing blank checks, and agreeing to let them operate with little to no accountability tous.

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The Weapons Industry Is Jubilant About Biden's Nominee for Pentagon Arms Buyer - In These Times