Trump II and the Military-Industrial Complex in Authoritarian Upheaval

Authors

  • Dorothea Schmidt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v56i222.2233

Keywords:

Military-Industrial Complex, Pentagon, Project 2025, Trump, USA

Abstract

»Project 2025« is considered to be the master plan for the policies of the second Trump administration, outlining a national-conservative restructuring of the government into an authoritarian regime. This article examines five core demands set out in the project for the military: 1. prioritizing the confrontation with China; 2. cultural change in the military; 3. maximum effectiveness of the armed forces; 4. support for border protection measures; 5. financial transparency and accountability. The question is how these demands should be viewed against the backdrop of the existing military-industrial complex and what became of them in political practice during the first year of the Trump administration.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Astor, Maggie (2024): Heritage Foundation Head Refers to ›Second American Revolution‹ (3.7.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/03/us/politics/heritage-foundation-2025-policy-america.html, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

ATA (2025): Office of the Director of National Intelligence Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. URL: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2025-Unclassified-Report.pdf, Zugriff: 15.11.2025.

Bergen, Peter (2024): Military leaders who served under Trump sound the alarm about him winning a second presidency (19.10.). URL: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/19/politics/military-leaders-sound-the-alarm-trump/index.html, Zugriff: 2.11.2025.

Copp, Tara / Smith, Michelle R. / Dearen, Jason (2024): Trump’s Pentagon pick was flagged as a possible ›Insider Threat‹ in the National Guard (16.11.). URL: https://apnews.com/article/trump-defense-department-pentagon-hegseth-fox-news-8cd9f065e54a7cbbaceeec8bae9261a6, Zugriff: 15.11.2025.

Doubleday, Justin (2025): DHS prepares for unprecedented spending surge under ›Big, Beautiful Bill‹ (7.7.). URL: https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4094196325399-dhs-prepares-for-unprecedented-spending-surge-under-big-beautiful-bill, Zugriff: 15.11.2025.

Drozdiak, Natalia (2025): Trump’s Military Use in Other Countries Tests His MAGA Base (4.11.). URL: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-04/trump-s-peace-through-strength-tested-by-maga-cry-for-us-focus, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Erwin, Sandra (2022): Pentagon to rein in defense and aerospace imdustry mergers. URL: https://spacenews.com/pentagon-to-rein-in-defense-and-aerospace-industry-mergers/, Zugriff: 8.11.2025.

Filkins, Dexter (2025a): The U.S. Military’s Recruiting Crisis (3.2.). URL: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/10/the-us-militarys-recruiting-crisis, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

– (2025b): The Next War (21.7.). URL: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/07/21/is-the-us-ready-for-the-next-war, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Freemen, Ben / Hartung, William D. (2023): The Military-Industrial Complex Has Never Been Worse (5.7.). URL: https://jacobin.com/2023/05/military-industrial-complex-pentagon-budget-weapons-manufacturing-influence-revolving-door, Zugriff: 15.11.2025.

Frenkel, Sheera (2025): The Militarization of Silicon Valley (4.8.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/technology/google-meta-openai-military-war.html, Zugriff: 11.11.2025.

Gledhill, Julia / Hartung, William (2022): Der US-Kriegsstaat: Warum Amerikaner 1,4 Billionen Dollar für »nationale Sicherheit« zahlen (21.9.). URL: https://www.telepolis.de/features/Der-US-Kriegsstaat-Warum-Amerikaner-1-4-Billionen-Dollar-fuer-nationale-Sicherheit-zahlen-7270652.html?seite=all, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

– (2023): Pentagon can’t account for 63% of nearly $4 trillion in assets (4.12.). URL: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/pentagon-audit-2666415734/, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Goldberg, Jeffrey (2024): Trump: ›I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had‹ (22.10). URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Hannany, Zetta / Priambodo, Dhika (2025): Govini: US not ready for war, weapons reliant on Chinese suppliers (2.7.). URL: https://www.idnfinancials.com/news/55580/govini-us-not-ready-for-war-weapons-reliant-on-chinese-suppliers, Zugriff: 5.11.2025.

Hummel, Evan / Carey, Kalé (2025): Lawmakers want answers from the Pentagon after it failed 7 audits, SAN (17.6.). URL: https://san.com/cc/lawmakers-want-answers-from-the-pentagon-after-it-failed-7-audits/, Zugriff: 20.11.2025.

Jaffe, Greg / Schmitt, Eric / Cooper, Helen (2025): Hegseth Is Purging Military Leaders With Little Explanation (8.11.). URL: https://www.rsn.org/001/hegseth-is-purging-military-leaders-with-little-explanation.html, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Kania, Ela B. (2020): »AI weapons« in China’s military innovation. Brookings. URL: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ai-weapons-in-chinas-military-innovation/, Zugriff: 20.11.2025.

Kendall, Frank (2025): The DEI Purge Will Weaken Our Military – Morale and recruiting will suffer while racist and sexist behavior will increase (19.3.). URL: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/03/19/dei-pentagon-hegseth-trump-00236799, Zugriff: 5.11.2025.

Klare, Michael T. (2025): A New Military-Industrial Complex Arises: The Secret War Within the Pentagon (20.3.). URL: https://www.fairobserver.com/business/technology/a-new-military-industrial-complex-arises-the-secret-war-within-the-pentagon/, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Kronauer, Martin (2025): Ist dies schon Wahnsinn, so hat es doch Methode – der politische Umsturz in den USA. In: PROKLA 219 55(2): OF1-OF8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v55i219.2201.

Kumar, Aditya (2026): ›Not Happening‹: U.S Military Generals Block Trump’s Alleged Greenland Invasion Order. URL: https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/Not-Happening-US-Military-Generals-Block-Trumps-Alleged-Greenland-Invasion-Order/, Zugriff: 17.1.2026.

Lee, Morgan (2025): US expands militarized zones to 1/3 of southern border, stirring controversy (4.7.). URL: https://apnews.com/article/border-military-trump-national-defense-area-89f046e09809fe5b5071c6b9e1f48da9, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Lemke, Matthias (2020): Ausnahmezustand in den USA? In: Demokratie im Ausnahmezustand DOI: https://doi.org/10.58079/o76i.

Lillis, Katie Bo (2023): Milley says the military doesn’t swear oath to a ›wannabe dictator‹ in apparent swipe at Trump (29.9.). URL: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/29/politics/milley-trump-wannabe-dictator, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Lipton, Eric (2025): Musk is Positioned to Profit of Billions in New Government Contracts (23.3.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/spacex-contracts-musk-doge-trump.html, Zugriff: 20.11.2025.

Marcus, Ruth (2025): Military games (23.6.). URL: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/23/president-trumps-military-games, Zugriff: 15.11.2025.

Mai, Hansjürgen (2025): Trump entsendet Nationalgarde (11.8.). URL: https://taz.de/Washington-DC/!6106731/, Zugriff: 5.11.2025.

Mayer, Margit (2025). Die USA am Vorabend einer neuen Ära. In: PROKLA 218 55(1): 211-234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v55i218.2175.

Miller, Christopher (2023): Department of Defense. In: Mandate for Leadership. The Conservative Promise. Washington, D.C.: 91-127.

Novelly, Thomas (2024): Air Force Overcharged 7,943% for C-17 Hand Soap Dispensers, Watchdog Finds (30.10.). URL: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/10/30/air-force-overcharged-7943-c-17-hand-soap-dispensers-watchdog-finds.html, Zugriff: 9.11.2025.

Obis, Anastasia (2025): DoD eliminated most DEI jobs well before Trump took office (5.5.). URL: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2025/05/dod-eliminated-most-dei-jobs-well-before-trump-took-office/, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Penichet, Christian (2025): Forum Analysis: President Trump’s Executive Actions on Border Security (24.1.). URL: https://immigrationforum.org/article/u-s-southern-border-president-trumps-executive-actions-on-border-security/, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Pickert, Bernd (2025): Trump gegen Washington. Mehr Nationalgarde nach Washington (17.8.) URL: https://taz.de/Trump-gegen-Washington-DC/!6107320/, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Ramanathan, Tara (2025): »No Kings« protests (7.11.). URL: https://www.britannica.com/event/No-Kings-protests, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Rose, Steel (2024): After Failing to Comply With the CFO Act Every Year for 33 Years, Pressure Is On The Military To Show Where The Money Went (3.12.). URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steelrose/2024/12/03/dod-fails-to-obtain-a-clean-audit-again/, Zugriff: 5.11.2025.

Sanger, David E. / Cooper, Helene (2022): Trump and the Military: A Mutual Embrace Might Dissolve on America’s Street (23.8.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/us/politics/trump-military-protests.html, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Sanger, David E. (2025): At Home and on the Seas, Trump Expands Use of American Force (17.9.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/us/politics/trump-shift-national-security-focus.html, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Schmidt, Dorothea (2022): Staatskapitalismus in den »marktliberalen« USA? Der Militärisch-Industrielle Komplex. In: PROKLA 208 52(3): 451-472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v52i208.2006.

Schmitt, Eric / Cooper, Helene (2025): Hegseth’s Plans to Reshape the Military Start With Cuts (4.3.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/us/politics/hegseth-military-cuts.html, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Snyder, Timothy (2025): Trump will ein persönliches Paramilitär, keine US-Armee (5.7.). URL: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000277957/timothy-snyder-trump-will-ein-persoenliches-paramilitaer-keine-us-armee, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Sommavilla, Fabian (2025): Das US-Heimatschutzministerium – die mächtige Geheimpolizei in gefährlichen Händen (21.4.). URL: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000266104/das-us-heimatschutzministerium-die-maechtige-geheimpolizei-in-gefaehrlichen-haenden, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Sommer, Jeff (2025): The Most Valuable Military Contractor Doesn’t Make Bombs or Guns (14.11.). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/business/palantir-ai-military-stock-market-.html, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Stanley, Jason (2024): Wie Faschismus funktioniert. Neu-Isenburg.

Stoppel, Kai (2025): USA planen Weltraum-Abwehr: Wie funktioniert der Golden Dome? (21.5.) URL: https://www.n-tv.de/wissen/Wie-funktioniert-der-Golden-Dome-article25782249.html, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Taxpayers for Common Sense (2000): Why Can’t the Pentagon Pass An Audit (18.5.). URL: https://www.taxpayer.net/budget-appropriations-tax/why-cant-the-pentagon-pass-an-audit/, Zugriff: 10.11.2025.

Toropin, Konstantin / Beynon, Steve (2025): Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump’s Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance (11.6.). URL: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/11/bragg-soldiers-who-cheered-trumps-political-attacks-while-uniform-were-checked-allegiance-appearance.html, Zugriff: 25.10.2025.

Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (2025): Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and the »War from Within« (5.10.). URL: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/13/donald-trump-pete-hegseth-and-the-war-from-within, Zugriff: 25.11.2025.

Wolf, Zachary (2025): Trump promised a peacemaker presidency. What happened? (18.6.) URL: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/18/politics/trump-peacemaker-iran-israel-conflict-analysis, Zugriff: 25.10.2025.

Published

2026-03-02

How to Cite

Trump II and the Military-Industrial Complex in Authoritarian Upheaval. (2026). PROKLA. Journal of Critical Social Science, 56(222), 167-186. https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v56i222.2233