Tug of War: Surveillance Capitalism, Military Contracting, and the Rise of the Security State

478 Pages·2017·3.09 MB·English

by  Jocelyn Wills

TUG OF WAR
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228 Asleep at the Switch The Political Economy of Federal Research and
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230 The Great War as I Saw It
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242 Tug of War Surveillance Capitalism, Military Contracting, and the Rise of the Security State Jocelyn Wills
TUG OF WAR
Surveillance Capitalism, Military Contracting, and the
Rise of the Security State
JOCELYN WILLS
Carleton Library Series 242
McGill-Queen’s University Press
Montreal & Kingston • London • Chicago
© McGill-Queen’s University Press 2017
ISBN 978-0-7735-5047-6 (cloth) ISBN 978-0-7735-5048-3 (ePDF) ISBN 978-0-7735-5049-0 (ePUB)
Legal deposit third quarter 2017
Bibliothèque nationale du Québec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper that is 100% ancient forest free (100% post-consumer recycled),
processed chlorine free.
McGill-Queen’s University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our
publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through
the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Wills, Jocelyn, 1960–, author
Tug of war : surveillance capitalism, military contracting, and the rise of the security state / Jocelyn
Wills.
(Carleton library series ; 242)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-7735-5047-6 (cloth). – ISBN 978-0-7735-5048-3 (ePDF). – ISBN 978-0-7735-5049-0
(ePUB) 1. Security, International. 2. Space security. 3. Defense contracts. 4. Electronic surveillance. 5.
Capitalism. I. Title. II. Series: Carleton library series ; 242
JZ5588.W55 2017 355’.033 C2017-902183-4
C2017-902184-2

This book was typeset by True to Type in 10.5/13 Sabon.
For Tom
Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction: Satellites and Surveillance Capitalism
1 “A Permanent State of ‘Cold War’”: Preparing the Environment, 1940–1968
PART ONE THE TECHNOLOGY ENTHUSIASTS
2 “Our Knowledge Is in the Holes”: Software Consulting and the Sweat-
Equity Formula, 1968–1977
3 “Innovation in a Cold Climate”: Remote Sensing and the Government
Contracting Paradigm, 1971–1980
4 “Two Things Went Wrong at Once”: Financial Crises, Mythical Man-
Months, and the Near-Death Experience, 1975–1981
PART TWO THE INVESTOR-BUSINESS STRATEGISTS
5 “Unscrambling the Mess”: Financial Restructuring, Management Discipline,
and the Military Contracting Formula, 1981–1987
6 “The Systems Vision Was Too Hard”: Investor Strategies, Product
Development, and the Demise of the Manufacturing Vision, 1982–1988
7 “One Amorphous Mass”: Systems Integration, Strategic Planning, and the
Search for Liquidity, 1988–1993
PART THREE THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS
8 “This Company Will Be Sold”: MDA’s Public Offering, Orbital’s Acquisition,
and the Dot-Com Bust, 1993–2001
9 “Shades of Grey”: 11 September 2001, the Homeland Security Bubble, and
Canada’s Sovereignty Imbroglio, 2001–2008
10 “A Lucky Escape”: The Great Recession, Property Information Divestment,
and the Acquisition of a Critical Mass in Satellite Manufacturing, 2009–2012
Conclusion: “Unseen, in the Background”: A View from the Security State
Notes
Bibliography
Index