Lockheed Martin: National Security = Renewable Energy

National security is big business, and no one has benefited more than Lockheed Martin. Approximately $105 from each US taxpayer goes to Lockheed Martin.  From defense contracts to supporting the invasion of Iraq, Lockheed Martin is in deep with the US government’s priority of national security.

Recently, Lockheed Martin announced that increasing the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies is just as important to national security as building fighter jets.

Is this greenwashing or a sign of the climate of change Obama has brought to Washington, DC?

Lockheed Martin is responsible for death and destruction around the world.   According to CorpWatch:

This Bethesda, Maryland-based company is the world’s #1 military contractor as well as the world’s largest arms exporter. Lockheed Martin built the U-2 and the SR-71 Blackbird spy planes. Today they make F-16, F/A-22 jet fighter, Hellfire and Javelin missiles, as well as designing nuclear weapons. Its F-117 stealth attack fighters were used to “shock and awe” the population of Iraq at the start of the US invasion, while since the start of that war the Air Force has increased production of Lockheed’s PAC-3 Patriot missile – which cost $91 million per copy.

Crocodyl further explains:

Lockheed Martin’s slogan is “we never forget who we’re working for.” That’s not difficult, given that the company receives some 84 percent of its revenue from the U.S. government, mostly the Pentagon. It is the largest federal contractor and the largest weapons producer in the world. It trails Boeing, United Technologies and EADS in total revenues, but those companies, unlike Lockheed Martin, have substantial revenue from civilian products. Most of the 16 percent of Lockheed’s revenues that doesn’t come from Uncle Sam comes from foreign governments.

So why is Lockheed Martin moving towards renewable technologies?  I believe it is survival, as well as recognition that if the company wants to continue to be majorly supported by the US government under the Obama administration, it must reflect the president’s priorities.  The Dow Jones Newswire reports:

Building on partnerships the company announced last year to develop utility scale solar and wave-power technologies, the defense and aerospace giant is now working on new types of fuels for vehicles and power plants, according to executives at the company.

Thomas Grumbly, a vice president and customer relations executive for Lockheed Martin Information Technology, stated, “We see energy as a major piece of what this country needs to do both for electric reliability and security, and this is a huge opportunity to put a lot of people to work”.

In 2007, Lockheed Martin began exploring solar-thermal technologies estimating up to 10 gigawatts of solar power could be online globally by 2017 representing $30 billion market. In October, the company entered into a $1.2 million cooperative agreement contract with the Department of Energy to explore the viability of ocean thermal energy conversion.  Chris Myers, vice president for business development in Lockheed Martin’s Maritime Systems and Sensors group, explains, “We saw that energy was going to become a national security issue as well as global climate change issue.”  It is also an issue of company survival for Lockheed Martin in the 21st century.

Image:  Lockheed Martin