Having made hundreds of millions of dollars off the regime, defense contractor Lockheed has publicly defended the dictatorship in Bahrain by using a former high-ranking military commander now on the company’s payroll. In the past year, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain has brutally cracked down on demonstrators calling for democratic reform.

 

Charles “Willy” Moore, a former vice admiral and now regional president for Lockheed Martin for the Middle East and Africa, penned an Op-Ed late last year in The Washington Times that said the U.S. should not “betray a friend and harm American security” by supporting pro-democracy protestors demanding freedom in the oil sheikdom.

 

Assisting Moore in placing the editorial were U.S. lobbyists hired by Bahrain to improve the embattled government’s relationships in Washington, DC. The lobbyists included Joe Trippi, former campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean.

 

Lockheed has delivered million-dollar weapons to Bahrain, including F-16 fighter planes, extended-range rockets, tactical surface-to-surface missiles, and a ballistic missile defense radar system.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Lockheed Martin Goes to Bat for Oppressive Regime (by Justin Elliott, Salon)

Why is Obama Selling Weapons to the King of Bahrain While He’s Attacking Pro-Democracy Protestors? (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

U.S. Defense Firms Make Billions from UAE and Bahrain Dictatorships (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)