There’s a saying in “Game of Thrones“ about sellswords (mercenaries): “A man who fights for coin is loyal only to his purse.”
This saying is important to remember in today’s world of globalist government contractors, those who are happy to collect a country’s money but repay it with no loyalty.
For example, last week aerospace titan Airbus announced that it wanted to develop a new jetliner using loans from European governments that don’t need to be repaid if the aircraft isn’t a market success. In official terms, that model is called a “repayable launch investment,” but a few years ago, the World Trade Organization called it an “illegal subsidy.”
That may sound like run-of-the-mill crony capitalism, but it’s the only the latest example of Airbus exploiting its international footprint.
Consistently ranked as one of the largest defense contractors in the world, Airbus provides civilian and military aircraft to a wide variety of clients. Headquartered in France, the company has consistently run afoul of enormous penalties from the countries they’re supposed to be serving.
Airbus is in the running for U.S. Air Force contracts to build the next wave of aerial refueling tankers. In October, the company promised it would “deliver affordability, proven performance and unmatched capabilities.” Those all sound great, but should we really be trusting Airbus with billions of taxpayer dollars?
There are controversies about the military industrial complex. There are discussions of conflicts of interest to be had regarding globalist defense companies. And then there’s Airbus.
In 2022, French prosecutors forced Airbus to pay more than $16 million to settle a case involving illegal sales of commercial aircraft, helicopters, and satellites to Libya and Kazakhstan. Earlier that year, the company’s own investors hit it with a €300 million lawsuit over allegations that it failed to properly disclose a “sprawling corruption scandal.” In 2012, Airbus got in trouble for corrupt practices in Saudi Arabia. In 2003, the same happened in South Africa.
All of this is peanuts compared to the $3.9 billion penalty Airbus agreed to pay over foreign bribery charges brought by the U.S., United Kingdom, and France. The company was accused of paying bribes in countries as diverse as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Ghana. In what was the largest global foreign bribery resolution to date, Airbus was found to have violated the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Give them enough time and Airbus will find a few more four-letter acronyms to violate.
We are entering a potentially horrifying time for the world. This is not 2002 in Afghanistan, and we can’t play around building TGI Fridays in Kandahar. There is more firepower on the planet than during even the scariest parts of the Cold War.
Regarding the aforementioned Air Force contract, it’s important that America lead with Next-Generation Aerial-refueling System (NGAS) technology. Although it’s not as sexy as stealth technology, cyber security, or intercontinental missiles, mid-air refueling is a critical part of our military capabilities. (You can watch a video of how it’s done here.)
Not all of our planes are refueled in a controlled environment like Andrews Air Force Base, and if we can efficiently refuel planes mid-air, their strategic range doubles. Seems important if we have to fight, say, a war on the other side of the Pacific.
Particularly with regard to the issue of national defense, it makes no sense to squander American taxpayer money that ends up creating French jobs while enriching European investors. Private-sector support has always been integral to America’s defense – but we need the right support. Indeed, America might never have become a country if the British hadn’t hired such lousy German mercenaries.
We can’t afford to throw money at sellswords who are only loyal to their own purses.
Jared Whitley is an award-winning columnist and DC politico, having worked in the U.S. Senate, White House, and defense industry. He has an MBA from Hult Business School in Dubai.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.