Northrop Grumman’s Military Bowl and Bell Helicopter’s Armed Forces Bowl raise the issue of the military contracting lobby’s influence.

MITCH BLATT

The bowl game played in Washington, DC and originally known as the Congressional Bowl (in planning stages) is now the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. In its inaugural season, it was the Eagle Bank Bowl. While I wouldn’t argue with the relevance of using either “contractors” or “banks” as reference for “Congress,” I do think the issue at least warrants some discussion in that these tax-funded contractors are advertising with the intent of getting more tax dollars for purposes which they will ultimately benefit from if America goes into another war.

The “battlefield” references take on real meaning. The football warriors will go to battle on the gridiron, the soldiers in uniform will go to battle in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the lobbyists go to battle on Capitol Hill. Northrop Grumman spent $12 million lobbying in 2010. Their PAC spent $1.7 million on 2010 campaign contributions. Bell Helicopter also contributed to candidates, of course, though on a much smaller level.

Proceeds to the Military Bowl will go to support the USO, but the real proceeds are coming from Northrop’s military contracts, not from the advertisement/bowl game profits. ITT Defense and Information Systems is also one of the Military Bowl’s sponsors. Humana Military (healthcare) is a supporting sponsor of the Armed Forced Bowl.

It’s a truism: Contractors like to be on Congress’ good side, and Congress members like to have contractors’ money.

Northrop has to bring their guns out after getting beaten back by Boeing in long-standing battle for a tanker contract this spring. Boeing originally had a deal to provide the tankers as far back as 2003, but the deal was withdrawn after an Air Force procurement officer and the chief financial officer of Boeing were found guilty of corruption in 2004. Northrop (partnered with the European EADS/Airbus) won the contract in 2007, but Boeing protested, and many Congressmen made statements supporting Boeing, being that Boeing is an American company, and Northrop was partnered with EADS. Northrop dropped out in March, 2010, claiming that the odds were intentionally staked against them, but EADS stayed to fight for the contract on their own, and is surprisingly poised to win, according to an accidental leak of Department of Defense documents. Naturally, Boeing is protesting the leak and already has some Congress members on their side.

The bowl games are just the same thing that happens every day inside Congressional halls or on Boeing’s Tanker Lobbying Website or sometimes on TV ads or perhaps even news shows. It’s just on a much larger and much more shameless level when its happening at a bowl game.

Bowl games have become jokes these days. (Let’s just remember the “Come on down to Beef’s!” Beef O’Brady’s Bowl that kicked off the bowl season.) JSB blogger Scott Jacobs interviewed one of the promoters of the Eagle Bank Bowl in 2008 asking who would care about such an irrelevant new bowl game. The founders claimed to care in good PR fashion, but the importance of the game to them is well established now that they aren’t sponsoring it anymore.

Every bowl game is an advertisement, but when contractors get involved, not only is the sponsorship supported by taxpayer dollars and encouraging the growth of such funding, but, in the case of defense contractors, you also have the potential for American and civilian lives to be at stake in what President Eisenhower called “the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” Is this an example of what Eisenhower warned of in his farewell address? I’m not providing an answer–I’m just asking questions–but clearly its something we need to watch out for.

Popularity: 3% [?]