Weapon development contract - moral objection?

[G-MAN2004]

Don't think I'd care at all to be honest.

 

[Welshy]

I have a friend who works for a defence firm down here who have get a lot of stick from activists as they design missile/bomb release mechanisms for combat aircraft.

He refers to it as "the bomb factory" and has to deal with activists calling him every name under the sun everytime he enters or leaves the place. So I guess it doesn't bother him too much.

Coincidentally I work on the same team as a guy who lives with one of the ringleaders of the activists who allegedly smashed the the premises of the company up once.

Funnily enough, Thales, who are up in Crawley don't get half as much stick as his company. Life sucks when you are a stone's throw from two universities.

Happy days.

While I agree that being near to two universities may well increase the number of activists, Thales Crawley only does communications and security products, nothing offensive at all.

RE the thread topic, I would personally have no real objections to working on defence contracts - They're going to go ahead whether you take part or not.

 

[Mark A]

It wouldn't bother me at all. In fact I'd probably find it interesting working on a project like that.

 

[lewism]

I personally wouldn't have a problem with it. They are a need and considering it's a job vacancy there would be others jumping in for it as well.

 

[OzyOly]

I'd take the job definitely, if the money is good enough.

 

[Floyd]

Its what I do for a living (the software side anyway) and I have no problems with it. Like previous people have said a good weapon these days is one that takes its targets out with the minimum civilian casualties. Its up to governments to decide to wield what we produce. If I / the company didn't produce them someone else would.

 

[UncleBob]

It wouldn't bother me at all. I'm reliably infomed that being a software engineering contractor for SELEX Galileo is nice little earner!

 

[fadetoblack]

As I work for the MOD I don't have any moral objections

 

[Vindaloo2]

Would you work, for good money, on a defence contract that is basically a weapons system that can only be used offensively?

Its basically inventing new ways to kill many people from helicopters. The company sells it's stuff abroad as well.

Would you have moral objection? Or 'who cares, show me the money'?

Show me the money, i'm yours !

 

[Dolph]

I wouldn't take the job, unless there were very strict rules on who would be sold the results.

 

[James J]

I'd have no moral objection to it, but would expect a good wage out of it.

 

[starfighter]

These companies thrive in conflict. You do realise it is they who sell the weapons to undemocratic nations, violent nations?

What stops them nuking us? Who? the whole world, the USA, NKorea, China? The Illuminati? Iran ?

For the most, it's globalisation, for the rest, they possess no ability to launch nuclear weapons on the United Kingdom or her allies and wouldn't be in their interests to do so.

As for 'if you want peace, prepare for war' crap, have a look at Afghanistan, Iraq or North Korea.

In a rogue states case (which is our only major military 'threat' in the world...) the countries nuclear capability isn't going to deter them, neither is weapon technological advancement.

Comparing it to WWII is a poor example and doesn't hold any water.

I think the weapons industry is a tricky subject and now I'm not sure where I stand.

But if we didn't somebody else would.

I think tackling war by restricting weapons is similar to the governments ideas of banning knives etc to stop crime.

Sure it kinda works but it isn't the root cause. I am not interested in warmongering at all but the truth is there are other places that will sell guns even if we stop.

Tackle the poverty and oppression and you might find people can own guns yet not kill each other.