Buying Power: The Business of Defense in America

The definitive introduction to the business of war in the modern world

Buying Power pulls back the curtain on an industry that most Americans never see but that shapes every aspect of national security, from the F-35 fighter jets overhead to the semiconductors that power our missiles.

You'll learn how the Department of Defense struggles with 21st-century threats, why Congress keeps funding weapons the military doesn't want, how Silicon Valley startups are challenging defense giants that have dominated since the Cold War, and how the industry's consolidation into five mega-contractors both strengthens and endangers American security.

This isn't an exposé or an apology. Instead it reveals how America's defense acquisition system has evolved since the 1940s. From small-town machine shops to Pentagon procurement offices, from K Street lobbying firms to Middle East battlefields, Buying Power maps the complex ecosystem where defense contractors, military officers, and politicians negotiate America's survival. The result is a nuanced portrait of an imperfect system that, despite its flaws, may be democracy's best hope for maintaining technological superiority in an increasingly dangerous world.

Wesley Sparks is a defense industry veteran with experience in acquisition, business development, and military operations. As an infantry officer he deployed twice to combat in Afghanistan and then he served in Army Acquisition before working in the defense industry.