In April, Grand Rapids area military (“defense”) contractors were awarded $9,149,150 in contracts:

• Eaton Aerospace received a $40,110 contract from the Navy.
• Smiths Aerospace received $9,000,000 for work sub-contracting work through Raytheon on the targeting modules for Marine armored vehicles.
• Dover Resources received a contract for $40,501.
• Steelcase Inc received a $42,831 contract for office furniture from the US Army Aviation and Missile Command.
• Kentwood Office Furniture received a $25,078 contract for furniture from the Army.

This month Borisch Manufacturing also received tax breaks for new construction due to expansions it claims it needs to support the company’s rising sales.

The $9,000,000 contract that Smiths Aerospace obtained from Raytheon is an example of sub-contracting which is a common practice among companies doing military contracting. Large corporations frequently outsource portions of the manufacturing process to other companies so that completed weapons systems often contain components from several different companies. The connection to Raytheon also provides Smiths Aerospace with a further connection to the Iraq War, with Raytheon making “bunker buster” bombs, Tomahawk missiles, Patriot missiles, and components for the “unmanned aerial vehicles” used extensively in “the war on terror.” Of military contractors, Raytheon is one of the top industry political contributors.

Raytheon’s politic contributions also serve as a reminder that military contractors will soon start making extensive political contributions and indeed the “defense industry” has already given $7,343,996 in contributions in the 2006 election cycle. L-3 Communications, a large corporation with manufacturing operations in Grand Rapids, is in the top 10 of “defense” industry contributors to political candidates this year, already giving some $391,270 compared to a total of $400,519 in 2004. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, while the majority of contributions from the military contractors have gone to Republicans since 1989, many contributors give fairly evenly to both parties, thereby demonstrating how both Republicans and Democrats support and are an essential component of the military-industrial complex. Military contractors also spend significant amounts of money on public relations and lobbying efforts spearheaded by groups such as American Defense International, who works with Smiths Aerospace.