Eisenhower’s nightmare is now a reality On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower, a five-star general who led the D-Day invasion, gave a powerful warning to the nation in his farewell address: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.” Today, the White House has converged with the military-industrial complex to an extent and depth beyond what Eisenhower could have imagined. In policy, practice and operations, Washington is now run by military elites.
