Could we be witnessing a shift away from the Bush/Cheney neocon era of defense privatization, including operations like Haliburton, Black Water, LANS, TRIAD, LLNS, Sandia Corporation (Lockheed) and Solutions of Sandia (Honeywell)? Do defense contractors have the best interests of shareholders or the US people in mind?
Lutnick says administration considering taking stakes in defense companies
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday the president should consider stakes in companies where the U.S. adds “fundamental value.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/26/trump-government-companies-defense-00524433
The Trump administration is “thinking” about taking an equity stake in defense and munitions companies, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“There’s a monstrous discussion about defense,” he said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” when asked if there’s a “line” on government ownership of private companies. “I mean, Lockheed Martin makes 97 percent of their revenue from the U.S. government. They are basically an arm of the U.S. government.”
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority
Here is a list of so-called government corporations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_government_corporations_of_the_United_States
This article describes the topic in a more general context:
https://govfacts.org/analysis/can-the-us-government-own-american-companies/
State governments also have a history in this area
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_district_(United_States)
There are a variety of unusual examples such as the Bank of North Dakota:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_North_Dakota
Historically there was production of weapons at the Federal armories in Springfield and at Harper's Ferry (the site of John Brown's raid):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Armory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpers_Ferry_Armory