Power in Military Black Budgets

The top five military contractors by sales are Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumann, General Dynamics and Raytheon. In addition to the Department of Defense allocations, the top five intelligence agencies that often provide military use applications are the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Program and the General Defense Intelligence Program. The actual amount of monies that go into funding off the books secret projects, estimated by Bill Sweetman as cited in the Economic Crisis and the Pentagon`s Black Budget, exceeds rational comprehension. “The Pentagon’s ‘black’ operations, including the intelligence budgets nested inside it, are roughly equal in magnitude to the entire defense budgets of the UK, France or Japan, and ten percent of the total.”
Even the Washington Post in the account, “Black Budget” details U.S. operations, goals reports the “Spending in the most recent cycle surpassed that amount based on the $52.6 billion detailed in documents obtained by The Post, plus a separate $23 billion devoted to intelligence programs that more directly support the U.S. military.”
So where did this figure come from? None other than the audacious whistleblower or infamous traitor, depending on your viewpoint, revealed the figures. In the article, Snowden Reveals First Ever Public Disclosure Of Secret Black Budget Programs, the costs may be in the trillions.

“The Washington Post revealed that the “black-budget” documents report a staggering 52.6 billion dollars that was set aside for operations in the fiscal year 2013. Although it’s great to have this type of documentation in the public domain proving the existence of these black budget programs, the numbers seem to be off according to some statements made by some very prominent people who have been involved in the defense sector for years. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that these programs are not using billions of dollars, but trillions of dollars that are unaccounted for.”

Almost makes you believe that when Rumsfeld Says $2.3 Trillion Never Lost, Just Untracked, he might have actually been telling the truth for once.
See for Yourself: The Pentagon’s $51 Billion ‘Black’ Budget provides some astounding details of the way the “Black Operations” system works.

“The Pentagon likes to play a little hide and seek with its black budget. Projects with code names like the Navy’s “RETRACT JUNIPER” and “LINK PLUMERIA” are simple enough to find in the research development, testing and evaluation budget (.pdf). As are many of the Army’s “TRACTOR” projects: “TRACTOR NAIL,” “TRACTOR CAGE,” and so on. But then comes along a project like “TRACTOR DESK” hiding in one of the Army’s eight research budget documents, while others find their way to the operations and maintenance and procurement budgets. 
These projects are also where to go when searching for what’s getting cut. Something called the “Classified Program USD(P),” formerly valued around a respectable $100 million, had its budget reduced to zero. “TRACTOR JUTE” is on life support and “COBRA JUDY” had the sting taken out of it.
Most other projects saw lesser cuts, however, and others like “RETRACT MAPLE” even saw minor gains. This is also while the researcher at Darpa only received a slight trim.”

Looks like the KISS (keep to simple, stupid) principle did not make it into the budget.
Now take a high profile program that surely excites the imagination, even if it strains the pocketbook. The Lockheed Martin SR-72 Specification & Technical Data, might just be another cover-up project designed to conceal the actual replacement for the SR-71 (Aurora) rumored to be flying for decades.

“The Lockheed Martin SR-72 is a conceptualized unmanned, hypersonic aircraft intended for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance proposed by Lockheed Martin to succeed the retired SR-71 Blackbird. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird has been overtaken by it’s successor, The SR-72, the fastest Aircraft ever built. According to Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the SR-72, has a twin-engine aircraft which is designed in such a way that it can fly at Mach 6. By 2018, the SR-72 could be up for demonstration showing off at the high-speed strike weapon (HSSW), a U.S. hypersonic missile program taking shape under the Air Force and Darpa.”

All these covert platforms are so secret that the complete disclosure is above the pay grade of most elected representatives. Breaking down the Black Budget alludes to the SAPS. Seemingly, a most appropriate slang name; – a fool, dupe – befitting government puppets.

“According to Ben Rich (Lockheed Skunk Works director 1975-1991), keeping programs secret can add anywhere from 10 to 15% to the overall cost . . . Within the murky world of secret defense projects there are three main categories: SAP’s (Special Access Program), USAP (Unacknowledged Special Access Program), and so called “Waived SAPS”. In the case of waived SAP’s, their existence is not known by Congress or possibly the President.”

So where does the money come from for the military to develop and build their play toys weapons of mass destruction? Catherine Austin Fitts, answers with the claim that:

“The black budget has numerous sources. First, there is funding allocated in secret by Congressional “oversight” committees. Second, there are funds clawed from other agency appropriations. Third there are an endless series of other sources of funding include seizures, proceeds from the marketing of hard narcotics and engineering of mortgage and other financial fraud in your community and from many other illicit businesses operated globally by the intelligence cartel. Finally, I suspect one of the largest sources and uses has become market manipulations through the Exchange Stabilization Fund.”

Somewhere along the way, genuine national defense is short-changed, even if one’s political views support the policy of imperium hegemony. The dominance of the military-industrial-complex comes not from their firepower systems, but from the ability to perpetuate a never-ending warfare society, based upon phony threats and a permanent aggressor interventionism and empire expansion.
The corporatists love this cash cow because killing fellow humans is the most profitable business in all of history. Keeping this fact hidden from the taxpayer is the ultimate black budget blueprint that needs protection for the Corporatocracy to continue.
James Hall – May 28, 2014 
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