Raytheon is the world's second largest weapons company. Raytheon is headquartered in the Boston suburb of Waltham, MA, and maintains sites in the Massachusetts cities/towns of Cambridge, Westford, Peabody, Tewksbury, Andover, Marlborough, Woburn, and Billerica.
As reported by AFSC Investigate, Raytheon provides Israel with missiles compatible with Israeli F-16 fighter jets, including the AGM Maverick air-to-surface missile, the TOW missile, and the AIM-9X Sidewinder. Raytheon also produces missiles which Israel uses to arm its fleet of F-35A aircraft. Israel spends a significant portion of the billions in USD of military "aid" that the US provides it each year on Raytheon weaponry. In 2015, for example, Raytheon sold 250 AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles to Israel for $1.8 billion through US foreign military sales.
Israel has used Raytheon's missiles and bombs repeatedly in its attacks on densely populated areas in Palestine. In 2008-2009, Israel used F-16 aircraft armed with Raytheon missiles in its aerial assault on Gaza (so-called “Operation Cast Lead”), in which Israel killed 1,383 Palestinians and injured 5,300. Following this murderous aerial bombing campaign, Amnesty International found fragments of a 500-lb bomb with Raytheon markings amongst the rubble in Gaza. The Israeli military used F-16 fighter jets armed with Raytheon missiles in its 2014 aerial assault on Gaza (so-called “Operation Protective Edge”). The Israeli Navy uses Raytheon Phalanx weapon systems to enforce its ongoing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, through which Israel deprives Gaza's nearly 2 million residents of materials necessary for constructing and maintaining basic humanitarian and civilian infrastructure (such as water purification and functioning sewage systems).
As reported by AFSC Investigate, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly used Raytheon's weaponry in its (US-backed) aerial assault on and blockade of Yemen. Weaponry Saudi Arabia and members of its coalition have used against the people of Yemen include (but are not limited to) Raytheon GBU-12 Paveway bombs and Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles. As one recent example, in January 2022 fragments of a laser-guide bomb produced by Raytheon were found in the rubble following a Saudi-coalition attack on a detention center in Yemen which killed at least 91 people and injured 236 more. The Saudi-led and US-backed assault on and blockade of Yemen has created conditions of starvation and an epidemic of Cholera amongst the Yemeni people.
AFSC Investigate reports that Raytheon made $45 million between 2008-2021 through its contracts with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Through these contracts, Raytheon supplied CBP with surveillance aircraft, which CBP has used to track and surveil Black and Brown migrants. Raytheon also provided CBP with SeaVue Radar Systems for CBP's maritime surveillance fleet of P-3 Orion aircraft and Predator-B drones.
Raytheon received over $26 billion through U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts in the year FY 2020 alone, making it the second largest recipient of money from DoD contracts that year.
Indeed, Raytheon openly acknowledges that they view military escalation worldwide as good for business. In a January 2022 interview, Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes was asked how Raytheon views "rising tension" worldwide. Hayes replied: "We are seeing, I would say, opportunities for international sales. We just have to look to last week where we saw the drone attack in the UAE, which have attacked some of their other facilities. And of course, the tensions in Eastern Europe, the tensions in the South China Sea, all of those things are putting pressure on some of the defense spending over there. So I fully expect we're going to see some benefit from it."
Whereas Hayes happily acknowledged that Raytheon stood to benefit from military escalation, other Raytheon leaders have gone even further and openly advocated for war. In 2021, Raytheon board member (and Harvard Kennedy School professor) Meghan O'Sullivan penned an article in the Washington Post entitled "It’s Wrong to Pull Troops Out of Afghanistan. But We Can Minimize the Damage.” In this article, which O'Sullivan advocated against an end to the US's military intervention in Afghanistan. As reported in the Harvard Crimson, Raytheon "has a $145 million contract to train Afghan Air Force pilots and is a major supplier of weapons to the U.S. military," and stood to lose out on profits if the US ended its military intervention in the country. O'Sullivan's author bio in the WaPo article did not initially acknowledge her position on Raytheon's board.
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Michael Zagami, the "Business Manager" of IBEW Local 1505 which represents Raytheon workers in Massachusetts, is the Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Zagami wrote in 2021 that “for 75 years, Local 1505 has been a driving force in Raytheon’s success. The relationship provided good jobs both within Raytheon and in many vendor companies in the area.” In 2017, during the union's protest for better wages and healthcare for Raytheon workers in Andover, MA, Zagami said that workers creating "sophisticated weapon systems" should not make less than $15 per hour. These are some of the ways in which trade unions work to preserve the existing capitalist-imperialist system, inducing its labor force to think of themselves as workers within a "trade" rather than as human beings with many alternative possibilities for action and organization including resistance against interlocking systems of violence and oppression.
Aptima is currently contracted to work in partnership with Raytheon to develop a program called HERMIONE, which will enhance "[d]ata collection capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations."
In 2019, Citigroup served as the financial advisor to Massachusetts based weapons developer Raytheon during Raytheon's merger with United Technologies, a merger that according to Reuters created a company “worth about $121 billion.”
Raytheon has received $593.59 million to date through contracts with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to a report by the Transnational Institute, between 2006 and 2019, US Customs and Border Protection (a sub-agency of DHS) awarded contracts to Raytheon worth a combined $37 million for the development of surveillance and radar systems for maritime drones.
Politico has reported that Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey's largest campaign contributor during his 2013 bid for Senate was DLA Piper, a "politically connected law and lobbying firm whose clients include Raytheon, the Massachusetts-based defense contractor."
Raytheon company spokesman Michael Doble has stated that Raytheon “has a positive relationship with Sen. Warren, and we interact with her and her staff regularly." Senator Warren has visited Raytheon sites in Massachusetts.
General Electric has contracted with Raytheon, to supply "single board computers" for Raytheon's "DDG 1000 destroyer" naval vessels.
Raytheon board member Meghan O'Sullivan is a faculty member of Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES).
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has hosted weapons manufacturer Raytheon at its career fairs for SEAS as well as other Harvard Students.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1505 is the union which represents Raytheon workers in Massachusetts. As the Business Manager of IBEW Local 1505 Michael Zagami has written, “For 75 years, Local 1505 has been a driving force in Raytheon’s success. The relationship provided good jobs both within Raytheon and in many vendor companies in the area.” IBEW fights for more “equitable” contracts for Raytheon workers, but does not challenge Raytheon’s violent and imperialist agenda. IBEW is invested in Raytheon’s continued existence and generally fights against the closing or downsizing of Raytheon facilities in Massachusetts, objecting for example to Raytheon’s supposed plan to reduce its Massachusetts workforce (in Andover) by half by the year 2023.
Northeastern University offers up the Kostas Research Institute for "private and as-needed secure convening venue for researchers, industry practitioners, and government agencies," and notes that "Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems" has utilized the Institute for this purpose.
L3Harris is a major supplier of component parts Raytheon uses to construct its weapons. In 2019, Raytheon gave an award to L3Harris for providing "excellent" services.
The MIT School of Engineering and MIT Lincoln Labs run the "MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute," "a rigorous, world-class STEM program for talented rising high school seniors," which "teaches STEM skills through project-based, workshop-style courses." Students participating in the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute in 2019 were able to choose between four-week project-based course, in which they received instruction not only from MIT and MIT Lincoln Labs staff but also from weapons developers including Raytheon. 2019 Summer Institute students who selected the Raytheon course worked with MIT staff and Raytheon employees to design and build "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" (UAVs, i.e. drones) with "Synthetic Aperture Radar" (radar imaging) capacities, before competing against other teams "to form the best image of a secret challenge scene" using their respective UAVs at the end of the four-week program.
Raytheon's participation in the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute is emblematic of the deep integration which exists between elite institutions of knowledge production (like MIT and MIT Lincoln Labs) and the US military industrial complex. From an early age, MIT the weapons companies with whom it collaborates guide impressionable high school and middle school students with a passion for STEM toward careers building products of death and destruction such as the unmanned land and aerial vehicles for company's like Raytheon.
MassEcon has boasted about the expansive presence of weapons developers including Raytheon in Massachusetts.
In 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) awarded MA-based weapons developer Raytheon a $130M contract to build an electronic toll collection system for the state.
Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC) works with RTN Federal Credit Union, a bank that was formed in partnership with Raytheon and that still serves many Raytheon employees. MSIC insures some of RTN's loans, thus helping to make Raytheon a more "attractive" employer for workers.
In 2008, The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partnered with Northeastern University to launch ALERT ("Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats"), a consortium of nine universities and industry partners who receive grants and other support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct "research, technology and educational development" for DHS. Massachusetts-based weapons manufacturer Raytheon is one of the local industry partners in the ALERT consortium.
In November 2021, Northeastern University won a $36 million contract from DHS to build a surveillance system called SENTRY (Soft target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality). The system promises to turn schools, sporting events, and city spaces into a panopticon that will "integrate elements such as crowd-scanning sensors mounted atop light poles, video feeds, cell phone traffic, aerial drone footage, and social media posts." Raytheon is on the advisory board of Northeastern's SENTRY project.
Northeastern hosted weapons company Raytheon at NEU's February 2022 STEM career fair. During this career fair, Raytheon promoted both a job opening and a coop (undergraduate experiential learning program).
Northeastern University also honors Raytheon through the "Raytheon Amphitheater," a large facility within the Egan Research Center in which Northeastern hosts high-profile lectures and events.
Raytheon has made $28.06 billion through US DoD contracts for the provision of products and services to the US Air Force.
Raytheon has derived $22.99 billion to date through US DoD contracts for the provision of products and services to the US Army.
Raytheon has derived $48.35 billion to date through US DoD contracts to provide weaponry to the US Navy.
RTN Federal Credit Union is a bank which was formed in partnership with Raytheon in 1945, to serve Raytheon’s employees. Today, Raytheon employees remain a large percentage of RTN’s clients. According to RTN's website: “RTN Federal Credit Union serves more than 1,100 sponsor groups including two major employers in Massachusetts – Raytheon Technologies and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.”
Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School Meghan O'Sullivan currently serves on the board of the weapons company Raytheon Technologies. O'Sullivan is also deeply enmeshed within US war machine and national security state, sitting on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, and having served as "special assistant" to President George W. Bush (2004-07) where she was "Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan" (2006-07) in the midst of the US invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. In April 2021, Meghan O'Sullivan penned an article in the Washington Post entitled "It’s Wrong to Pull Troops Out of Afghanistan. But We Can Minimize the Damage.” As reported in the Harvard Crimson, O'Sullivan's author bio in this WaPo article highlighted her position as a faculty member of Harvard Kennedy (with the perceived "expertise" that HKS imbues) but failed to acknowledge her position on the Board of Raytheon, a company which had "a $145 million contract to train Afghan Air Force pilots and is a major supplier of weapons to the U.S. military." This omission sparked charges of "conflict of interest," given Raytheon's clear business stake in extending the US war on Afghanistan in order to maximize their weapons sales and profits.
Lindsey Borg currently works as a Public Relations and Public Affairs leader at Raytheon. Borg was a National Defense Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2007-08) where he focused on "Strategic Communication" and "International Security." During his time at at Harvard Kennedy, Borg published a paper "examin[ing] the DoD’s development of strategic communication, concentrating specifically on the implications, opportunities, and threats associated with the public information environment," in which Borg argued that "national decision makers must create a synergistic approach that emphasizes the country’s soft power capabilities while drawing on complementary efforts of its hard power if necessary." Prior to his time at HKS and Raytheon, Borg held numerous positions within the U.S. Air Force (1990-2011), the U.S. Department of Defense (2009-10), and NATO (1998-2001).
O'Sullivan and Borg's respective career trajectories are emblematic of the "revolving door" which exists between elite institutions of knowledge production like Harvard Kennedy, the US war machine and national security state (which feeds its people into these elite institutions), and the US weapons industry (which seeks business from US war machine and national security state).
Additionally, Scott Smider who is the Associate Director of Program Management at Raytheon Technologies at the company's site in Andover, Massachusetts, is an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School (MPP '09).
Raytheon presented to Boston University students at a Fall 2021 career fair which was co-organized by Boston University along with other local universities.
Raytheon presented to Boston College students at a Fall 2021 career fair co-organized by Boston College along with other local universities.
Raytheon maintains partnerships with MIT, including partnerships on "cybersecurity."
The MIT School of Engineering and MIT Lincoln Labs run the "MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute," "a rigorous, world-class STEM program for talented rising high school seniors," which "teaches STEM skills through project-based, workshop-style courses." Students participating in the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute in 2019 were able to choose between four-week project-based courses which included a course in which they received instruction from Raytheon staff. 2019 Summer Institute students who selected this Raytheon course worked with MIT staff and Raytheon employees to design and build "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" (UAVs, i.e. drones) with "Synthetic Aperture Radar" (radar imaging) capacities, before competing against other teams "to form the best image of a secret challenge scene" using their respective UAVs at the end of the four-week program.
Raytheon's participation in the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute is emblematic of the deep integration which exists between elite institutions of knowledge production (like MIT and MIT Lincoln Labs) and the US military industrial complex. From an early age, MIT the weapons companies with whom it collaborates guide impressionable high school and middle school students with a passion for STEM toward careers building products of death and destruction such as the unmanned land and aerial vehicles for companies like Raytheon.
Raytheon also presented at a Fall 2021 career fair co-organized by MIT (along with other local universities).
In 2006, Raytheon and IBM teamed up to bid on a $20 billion "U.S. Army networking contract."
In 2006, Raytheon and Boeing teamed up to bid on a $20 billion "U.S. Army networking contract."
Raytheon - Collins Aerospace is a subsidiary of Raytheon.
Raytheon Intelligence and Space (AKA Raytheon BBN Technologies) is a subsidiary of Raytheon.
Raytheon Missiles and Defense is a subsidiary of Raytheon.
Tufts University hosted Massachusetts-based weapons manufacturer Raytheon to present to Tufts students at the University's 2019, 2020, and 2021 general career fairs. Tufts hosted Raytheon to present to Tufts engineering students in May 2022. Raytheon's presence at Tufts career fairs has sparked outrage and protests amongst Tufts students and community members.
Raytheon presented to Harvard University students at a Fall 2021 career fair (the career fair was co-organized by Harvard along with other local universities).
Superior Technical Ceramics (STC) provides manufacturing and materials services to MA-based weapons manufacturer Raytheon. In 2019, STC received an award from Raytheon for its “outstanding performance.” According to an STC press release, “staff members from several of Vermont's Congressional delegations were in attendance to observe first-hand the impact of STC’s capabilities in support of Raytheon, the state and the nation.”
The Susan and Barry Tatelman Foundation has held shares in weapons manufacturer Raytheon, valued at $12,194.00 as of 2007.
UMass Amherst has hosted Massachusetts-based weapons manufacturer Raytheon at its career fairs.
In 2014, UMass Lowell announced that it was initiating a partnership with MA-based weapons manufacturer Raytheon to offer degree programs in Kuwait. As the New York Times reported, this partnership which "could allow UMass-Lowell to serve as many as 1,200 students in the next few years, requires the contractor, the Raytheon Company, to contribute $50 million to help cover the cost of the first seven years of operation."