Dear Editor,

This August, a bomb was deployed against a school bus killing 40 children in Yemen. The bomb was made by United States defense contractor Lockheed Martin. On a surface level, this may not appear to have any connection with our community here in Syracuse. However, Syracuse University is complicit in the war in Yemen because of its connections to Lockheed Martin, another major Syracuse employer.

The US-backed Saudi led coalition is perpetuating the war in Yemen, now entering its fourth year. The coalition receives arterial support from the US which has allowed them to target Yemeni civilians and enact a blockade, producing near-famine conditions. Lockheed Martin has recently been awarded more than $481 million-dollar deals from Saudi Arabia.

The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVFM) at Syracuse University has developed a clear relationship with Lockheed Martin. In the past five years, they have donated in excess of $1.5 million to IVFM university programming. IVFM’s advisory board includes a Lockheed Martin vice president. Financial ties also extend beyond the IVFM. In 2006, Lockheed Martin gave $250,000 to Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science to attract high-performing engineering students.

We find SU’s relationship to Lockheed Martin particularly troubling since SU’s strategic plan includes a reinvigorated “Commitment to Veterans”. We are not suggesting that this is not an admirable goal or that the above programs should not be financed. However, we find it contradictory that this ambitious effort at veteran support receives funding from a defense contractor that profits off placing these people in the context of war to begin with. We are concerned that these donations enable Lockheed Martin to generate good-will while it profits off the lives of veterans, military families, and Yemenis.

If SU truly wants to distinguish itself as a supportive environment for veterans and military families, its programs should be solely accountable to those directly impacted by war.

Even more importantly, SU cannot in good conscience maintain relationships with arms manufacturers as they continue to profit off indiscriminate killing. Drawing inspiration from protests against Saudi connections to Harvard, Yale and MIT, we urge the SU community to remember our legacy of anti-war activism which includes shutting down the campus in protest of the Vietnam War. While the Yemen war continues today, we cannot remain silent. The Syracuse community must ask itself if commitment to veterans necessitates the sacrifice of Yemeni lives.

Sincerely,

Jamie Gagliano & Anthony Walker with the Syracuse Peace Council

Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs MA students

Published on November 26, 2018 at 9:44 pm