Dictionary

military-industrial complex en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌmɪ.ləˌtɛ.ɹi ɪnˌdʌs.tɹi.əl ˈkɑmˌplɛks/ (General-American)
• (General-American) audio
• /ˌmɪ.lɪ.tɹi-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌmɪ.lɪ.tə.ɹi ɪnˌdʌs.tɹi.əl ˈkɒmplɛks/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From military (adjective) + industrial (adjective) + complex (noun), popularized by Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), the 34th President of the United States, in his farewell address in 1961: see the quotation.

Meanings

1. Military and industrial facilities situated in the same place.
   • Likewise, Shreveport was the heart of a military–industrial complex that extended west to Marshall, Texas, and northwest to Jefferson, Texas, 50 miles from Shreveport to which it was linked by steamer through Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake. 1953 summer, Waldo W. Moore, “The Defense of Shreveport—the Confederacy’s Last Redoubt”, in Victor Gondos, Jr., editor, Military Affairs: Journal of the American Military Institute, volume XVII, Baltimore, Md.: American Military Institute, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 74, column 1:
2. (also, derogatory, often) A nation's armed forces and industries (especially those supplying weapons and other materiel) collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government.
   • This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. […] In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. 1961 January 17, Dwight D[avid] Eisenhower, “The White House: Text of the Address by President Eisenhower, Broadcast and Televised from His Office in the White House, Tuesday Evening, January 17, 1961, 8:30 to 9:00 p.m., EST”, in Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, archived from the original on 14 Jan 2026, section IV, page 3:
   • Over the past two years, Silicon Valley's leaders and investors—many of whom had once forsworn involvement in weapons and war—have plunged headfirst into the military industrial complex. 2025 August 4, Sheera Frenkel, “Silicon Valley enlists in the business of war”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

prison–industrial complex · military–entertainment complex · marriage–industrial complex · animal–industrial complex

Synonyms

war machine · MIC

Translations (31)

sh војно-индустријски комплекс (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · hy ռազմարդյունաբերական համալիր (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · cmn 軍工複合體 /军工复合体 (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · cs vojensko-průmyslový komplex (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · sh vojno-industrijski kompleks (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ro complex militar-industrial (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ru вое́нно-промы́шленный ко́мплекс (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · hu katonai-ipari komplexum (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · pa ਫੌਜੀ ਉਦਯੋਗਿਕ ਤੰਤਰ (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · vi phức hợp quân sự-công nghiệp (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · fr complexe militaro-industriel (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ka სამხედრო-ინდუსტრიული კომპლექსი (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ar مَجْمَع صِنَاعِيّ عَسْكَرِيّ (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · pl kompleks militarno-przemysłowy (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · fa-ira مُجْتَمَعِ نِظامی صَنْعَتی (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · fi sotateollinen kompleksi (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ja 軍産複合体 (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · kk әскери-өнеркәсіп кешені (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · pl kompleks wojskowo-przemysłowy (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · be вае́нна-прамысло́вы ко́мплекс (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · uk воє́нно-промисло́вий ко́мплекс (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · uk військо́во-промисло́вий ко́мплекс (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · es complejo militar industrial (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · fi sotateollinen laitos (military and industrial facilities situated in the same place) · ka სამხედრო-სამრეწველო კომპლექსი (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ca complex militar-industrial (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ru ВПК (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · de militärisch-industrieller Komplex (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · nl militair-industrieel complex (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · ko 군산복합체 (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government) · vi tổ hợp quân sự-công nghiệp (nation’s armed forces and industries collectively, regarded as a strong vested interest exerting great influence on the government)

wikipedia: Dwight D. Eisenhower · wikipedia: President of the United States