BECHTEL
Bechtel is the world's #1 nuclear profiteer and a leading beneficiary of the Iraq war and corporate globalization policies in general. Caught your interest? There's plenty more information [0]where that came from.

one page Bechtel factsheet [0] (doc file)

LOCKHEED-MARTIN
Based in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed-Martin was formed in March 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin-Marietta. It is now the largest arms manufacturer in the world, according to DefenseNews.com, receiving 95.8% of its revenue from military contracts, which amounted to more than $34 billion in 2004.

As Jeffrey St. Clair reported in a January 2005 CounterPunch article [1], "Lockheed rakes it in from the federal treasury at the rate of $65 million every single day of the year." Lockheed is the manufacturer of the Trident missile, an intercontinental ballistic missile armed with nuclear warheads launched from a nuclear-powered submarine.

one page Lockheed Martin factsheet [1] (doc file)

ALLIANT TECHSYSTEMS
Alliant is the largest supplier of munitions to the Department of Defense and produces everything from bullets to cluster bombs to rocket motors for nuclear weapons.

Alliant produces rocket motors for most US missiles, including the Trident II ballistic missiles and Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, both of which are equipped with nuclear warheads. The Trident II (D5) missile is one of the few long-range nuclear delivery vehicles still being produced for the US forces. The D5 is unnecessarily replacing older C4 missiles, providing Alliant and other contractors with about $2.6 billion in contracts.

Alliant has manufactured over 16 million depleted uranium munitions to date. Depleted uranium is a byproduct of enriched uranium, which is the material used in nuclear weapons. It is pyophoric and burns instantaneously upon impact. When it hits its target, a depleted uranium shell also disperses a fine toxic radioactive dust that can be carried long distances by the wind or absorbed into the soil and groundwater. In Iraq, US troops use depleted uranium munitions to penetrating enemy tank armor and reinforced bunkers. According to a military spokesman, in the first year of the war in Iraq, the U.S. Army and Air Force fired 127 tons of DU munitions. Soldiers and civilians in the war zones and those who live near testing ranges like the one in Socorro, New Mexico where open air testing of DU was conducted for more than 20 years, have suffered the short and long term health effects of ingesting radioactive dust, such as kidney problems, birth defects, cancers and death.

Alliant’s depleted uranium manufacturing site in suburban Minneapolis is now a “superfund site” and the local community is fighting the company and the Pentagon over clean-up responsibilities.

BWX TECHNOLOGIES
As it says on its website, “BWXT is the premier manager of complex, high-consequence nuclear and national security operations. We are disciplined operators and managers of nuclear production facilities, who deliver enduring value and customer confidence.” Holds contracts to manages and operate the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, the Pantex Plant, and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Y-12 produced the uranium-235 for “Little Boy,” the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN
The third largest defense contractor in the world, Northrop Grumman received more than 90% of its 2005 income from the United States government. The company funnels millions of its more than $20 billion in revenues back into lobbying and campaign contributions every year; Senators Trent Lott, John Warner and Ted Stevens have each received more than $10,000 from the company. Paul Wolfowitz, I. Lewis Libby, Richard B. Myers, Dov Zakheim, and Sean O'Keefe — all current or former officials in the Bush Administration — are all former officials, consultants, or primary shareholders of Northrop Grumman. Vinnell Corporation, one of the company's largest subsidiaries, was previously owned by former Secretaries of State James A. Baker III and Frank Carlucci. Northrop Grumman was awarded a $48 million contract to train the new Iraqi army. In 2001, it acquired Newport News Shipbuilding, one of only two producers of nuclear submarine.

RAYTHEON
The fifth largest military contractor in the world, Raytheon obtains more 90% of its $22 billion in revenues from defense contracts. Among the missiles produced by Raytheon are the Patriot, Tomahawk, Maverick and Sidewinder. Raytheon has been involved in numerous controversies and lawsuits in recent years, including illegally obtaining classified documents, disputed claims about the Patriot Missile’s accuracy, and charges of influence peddling. The company contributed almost $1 million to various political campaigns in 2004, and far more than that on lobbying.

THE BOEING COMPANY
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Boeing is the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer and the 2nd largest defense contractor. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, based in St. Louis, Missouri, is a conglomeration of several acquired companies, including the McDonnell division of McDonnell-Douglas, Hughes Satellite Systems and Hughes Helicopters, and the North American Aviation division of Rockwell. Though Boeing is best known for its commercial aircraft, its $30 billion in weapons sales in 2005 brought in more than half of its overall revenue. More background: http://zmag.org/Zmag/Articles/nov01boeing.htm [2]

one page Boeing factsheet [2] (doc file)

HALLIBURTON
Based in Houston, Texas, Halliburton is the 10th largest defense contractor in the world. Its fortunes have risen dramatically since now Vice President Dick Cheney came on board as CEO in 1995. Before his tenure, the company was only the 73rd largest defense contractor; while Cheney was CEO Halliburton’s revenue from federal contracts nearly doubled. Though Cheney is supposedly no longer involved with the company, the company has continued to win lucrative contracts from the federal government, and particularly from the Department of Defense. Halliburton was the U.S. Army’s top contractor in 2003 with total contracts valued at more than $3.5 billion. In April 2002, Halliburton’s KBR subsidiary (formerly Kellog Brown & Root) was awarded a $7 million contract to build steel holding cells at Guantanamo’s Camp X-Ray. KBR currently has more than 30,000 employees in Iraq, undertaking services including troop support, air traffic control support, water production, deliveries of supplies, and restoring Iraq’s oil infrastructure. KBR’s contracts for work in Iraq are worth up to $18 billion, including a no-bid “Restore Iraqi Oil” contract valued at $7 billion, which some contend was awarded illegally. Throughout the IraqWar, KBR has been accused of overcharging the U.S. Army for food preparation, serving the troops expired food rations, and threatening would-be whistle-blowers.

GENERAL DYNAMICS
The General Dynamics conglomerate is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world, with $15 billion in military revenues in 2004. In addition to nuclear-powered Ohio class submarines, General Dynamics and its subsidiaries also produce a wide array of military vehicles and weaponry, including Stinger missiles and penetrator bombs and warheads.

one page General Dynamics factsheet [2] (doc)

BAE SYSTEMS INC.
The North American subsidiary of the UK-based defense and aerospace company BAE Systems plc. The largest foreign investory in the US defense industry, BAE Systems has grown via several major acquisitions, particularly the purchase of United Defense Industries in 2005. Its product lines include electronic warfare and missile countermeasures, reconnaissance and surveillance systems and munitions.

SOURCES: Wikipedia, corporate websites, DefenseNews.com, SourceWatch.org, Halliburton Watc