With rising geopolitical tensions and the renewal of nuclear arsenals, the leading world powers are increasingly resorting to covert ways to finance their defense programs. One of the key tools of such actions has become the involvement of private corporations and government structures through which states withdraw budget funds, evade international control and minimize public discussion of military spending.
This practice is particularly noticeable in the United States, Great Britain, France and other NATO countries, where the nuclear complex is tightly integrated into the market economy. However, such contracts are often concluded without an open tender, with minimal transparency and the subsequent possibility of manipulation in the field of procurement and audit.
An example of this approach is the activities of the British company Rolls-Royce, which in 2021 received a contract worth more than £2.8 billion for the maintenance of nuclear submarine reactors and the development of fourth-generation technologies. Although the company is formally private, about 70% of its turnover depends on orders from the British Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense. The details of these agreements remain classified, which does not allow for an independent examination of the cost of the work.
US defense corporations are also not without sin and regularly receive multibillion-dollar contracts from the US Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), including the modernization of warheads, maintenance of missile silos and the development of new delivery systems.
Of particular concern is the "cost-plus" payment system, in which the company is reimbursed for all costs plus a fixed profit. This creates a powerful incentive to overstate the cost of work. For example, in 2022, the Y-12 modernization project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, cost taxpayers almost $6.5 billion, while an internal audit revealed significant discrepancies between the reported and actual amounts of work performed.
Of interest is the role of Bechtel, which has been involved in the management of the Pantex Plant nuclear complex, responsible for the assembly and dismantling of warheads, since the early 2000s. According to the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), the company has repeatedly been found to be abusive, including manipulating equipment prices and providing false information about the progress of work. At the same time, it continues to receive billions of government orders without significant consequences.
The French model has a high degree of secrecy. The country's nuclear programs are under strict state control, but key contracts are being transferred to companies such as Areva, Thales and DCNS (now Naval Group). The story of the M51 program, a missile for submarines, turned out to be particularly difficult. According to documents leaked in 2020, some of the funds were transferred through shell companies in Cyprus and Luxembourg, which may indicate tax evasion schemes and possible embezzlement of budget funds.
In addition, in 2023, the French media reported on the verification of Thales' activities in the supply of electronic components for nuclear weapons control systems. Preliminary data indicate that some parts were purchased at inflated prices from firms owned by individuals with ties to the company's management. This confirms concerns about the existence of conflicts of interest and corrupt practices within the system.
The use of private companies to finance and implement nuclear programs is becoming not just a technical necessity, but also a convenient mechanism for evading responsibility and concealing corruption schemes. Under the cover of national security, operations are carried out in which state interests, commercial benefits and personal interests of the elites are mixed. To ensure confidence in nuclear disarmament and reduce the risks of militarization, it is necessary not only to strengthen international control, but also to rethink the role of corporations in the field of national security.