Global Corporations Control the Infrastructure in Modern Warfare
War and market. Photo: Revista Mercado
March 23, 2026 Hour: 8:06 pm
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Examining how private capital and global corporations now dictate the logistics of U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
The political situation in the Middle East changed on February 28, 2026. The Pentagon officially called this “Operation Epic Fury”, a massive joint U.S.-Israeli campaign involving 900 strikes in just 12 hours.
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The public has been told that this was a “preemptive strike” against nuclear threats. But the truth is that there’s a cold, financial reality behind all the talk of supposed patriotism.
For some big international companies, this war is not a problem to be solved. It is a market they want to capture. The 2026 U.S.-Israel War against Iran is a huge event that combines the military, industry and finance.
In this article, we will look closely at the companies that are making money from this increase in violence and the “permanent war” economy they have helped create.
The “Big Five” and the Replenishment Cycle
In the world of defense contracting, destruction drives demand. The “Big Five”: Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX (formerly Raytheon), Boeing, and General Dynamics,are currently benefiting from a “Supercycle of Investment.”
As stockpiles are depleted in the opening weeks of the war, Governments are rushing to sign multi-billion-dollar replenishment contracts.
Lockheed Martin: The Interceptor Windfall
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, saw its valuation jump 35% in the first three months of 2026.
Using a lot of THAAD and Patriot missile systems to stop Iranian counterattacks has made defense very profitable. In early 2026, the Pentagon agreed to make four times more THAAD missiles. Each of these interceptors costs about $12.7 million.
Northrop Grumman and RTX: Combat-Proven Profits
Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Stealth bombers were the first to attack. Shortly thereafter, the company’s stock price reached an all-time high. This was due to a deal worth $325 million to increase the production of anti-radiation missiles.
Meanwhile, RTX is making money from its partnership with Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. RTX is the supplier for the Iron Dome, which is at the center of the “kill chain.” By March 2026, RTX reported a huge $194 billion backlog, which means that even if the war ends tomorrow, the money will keep flowing for years.
General Dynamics and Boeing: The Logistics of Siege
The Boeing defense division remained very important to the F-15EX fleet, which is used for long-range missions.
At the same time, General Dynamics kept its place by managing the “system nervous system” of the conflict. This is the C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) networks that allowed U.S. and Israeli forces to coordinate 900 strikes in half a day.
The Israeli Nexus: State-Corporate Symbiosis
If the U.S. provides the strategic cover, Israel’s domestic defense sector is the operational frontline. Companies like Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) act as laboratories for the Ministry of Defense, “battle-testing” products in real-time.
- Elbit Systems: Their stock surged 21.7% in a single week. Their “Iron Beam” laser system, which uses light to shoot down drones, saw its first major deployment this month. Their backlog has reached a record $28.1 billion.
- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): Shortly before the war, IAI signed a $3.1 billion deal to sell the Arrow 3 system to Germany. It is now the primary shield against Iran’s long-range missiles.
- Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.: By selling interceptors for the Iron Dome, Rafael generates revenue with every rocket intercepted. They have also moved into “electronic warfare”, jamming Iranian signals before the bombs even drop.
The Algorithmic Kill-Chain: Silicon Valley’s New Frontier
The 2026 conflict is the world’s first “AI-directed war.” The speed of the assault, hitting 1,000 targets in 24 hours, would be impossible for humans alone.
Palantir and Maven
Palantir Technologies is now a key part of the Pentagon’s offensive. Its Maven Smart System (MSS) serves as the “single visualization tool” that combines eight different military systems into one. During the so-called Operation “Epic Fury”, Palantir’s AI algorithms have been used to identify “objects of interest” from satellite imagery and acoustic sensors. This has drastically shortened the time it takes to “close the kill chain.”
The AI Arms Race: Anthropic and Helsing
The war has caused a division in Silicon Valley. While Anthropic initially refused to use its AI for military purposes, reports show its “Claude” model is being used to decide what is most important to target.
At the same time, the European company Helsing (funded by Spotify’s Daniel Ek) recently raised €600 million to improve its “software-defined” defense capabilities. The algorithms developed are currently being used by allied forces to coordinate groups of autonomous drones that can navigate without GPS.
AWS: The Cloud in the Crosshairs
The physical side of this digital war became clear on March 3, when Iranian drones hit Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the UAE and Bahrain. Because Amazon hosts military intelligence data, its civilian infrastructure has become a legitimate military target.
Energy and Logistics: Capitalizing on the Chaos
While missiles are in the news, the biggest changes in money are happening in oil and shipping. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea route where 20% of the world’s oil passes. It is closed, which has led to a “war premium” for Western energy companies.
In the two weeks after the strikes began, the market value of “super-majors” like ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies grew by $130 billion.
With oil prices hitting $120 per barrel, U.S. oil firms are projected to see a $63.4 billion profit boost this year alone.
Shipping companies like Danaos Corporation are doing really well, even though there’s a lot of chaos. When the Strait of Hormuz closed, the price for shipping tankers went up to $420,000 per day.
By changing the route of trade and adding “war risk surcharges,” these companies have made a lot of money through 2027.
The Business of Permanent War
The 2026 U.S.-Israel attacks shows that the global economy is now closely linked to war. We have transitioned from a simple “buying and selling” economy to a permanent ecosystem of recurring revenue from conflict.
The “Big Three” asset managers, BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street, are the ultimate winners. These institutions own most of the shares in every company mentioned here, from Lockheed Martin to ExxonMobil. No matter what it is, a missile or a barrel of oil, the money always goes to the same place.
In 2026, the line between a “security crisis” and a “market opportunity” will disappear. For the military-industrial complex, the goal is no longer to “win” the war, but to manage the instability for the best possible financial results each quarter.
Sources: Responsible Statecraft – Al Jazeera – MintPress News – Pressenza – The Intercept
Author: Silvana Solano - LVM
Source: teleSUR
