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Doctrine, Industry, and Technology: Assessing the Inefficiencies of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex
Scanlon, Simeon
Scanlon, Simeon
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Abstract
This thesis analyses the internal dynamics, strategic objectives and institutional dynamics which shape the function of the military-industrial complex (MIC) of the United States. It argues that it is not influenced so much by real world strategic imperatives, as well as financial and material constraints, as by the preferences of entrenched, political, bureaucratic, military and corporate entities that privilege technologically sophisticated weapons systems at the expense of other products. Drawing on an Actor-Network Theory analysis of these incentives and the path dependencies they generate, the study traces the relationship between military structures, congressional constituencies, foreign policy planners and doctrinal frameworks to determine the effect of their linkages. Through an analysis of four weapons platforms—the F-35 Lightning fighter jet, the MQ-9 Reaper drone, the Switchblade-300 drone, and the 155mm ammunition round—the thesis demonstrates the mismatch between strategic preferences for technologically developed systems and the practical necessity demanded of attritional, high-intensity warfare. A comparative analysis of Russian and Chinese procurement structures adds to the findings that detail the lack of institutional coherence and industrial depth. The results indicate that the existing MIC structure erodes US adaptability and resilience in an era of great-power competition, requiring significant reform to the institutional networks which produce current procurement results.
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Master of Arts in International Affairs -- John Cabot University, Fall 2025.
Date
2025
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Military-industrial complex
Citation
Scanlon, Simeon. "Doctrine, Industry, and Technology: Assessing the Inefficiencies of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex". Master's Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.