Follow the money.

Do Texas A&M students really know how their university interlocks itself with corporations and governments? Do those interlocked establishments have our best interests in mind?

In today’s climate of geopolitical unrest, the U.S. government has approached international conflict in a way that national leaders — like the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro  —  have referred to as “U.S. aggression.” On Sept. 19 of this year, the U.S. committed its third strike on alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela.

Members of both U.S. political parties have criticized the executive branch’s decision to initiate the first airstrike for the lack of due process, transparency and legality it exemplifies — a recurring transgression in many institutions, especially the U.S. government. 

A&M, too, shares similar transgressions. A&M’s work with the Department of Defense, or DoD, and Lockheed Martin implicates them in an unethical and mutually beneficial relationship. This relationship is continuously sustained by the military-industrial complex: a complex that escalates armed conflict on a global scale.

In 2021, former A&M President M. Katherine Banks solidified a master research agreement with Bridget Lauderdale ‘89, Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program; a program that manufactures the most advanced stealth fighter jet in the world — the F-35.

The agreement concerns Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, or TEES, and Lockheed Martin, and it secured a $200 million investment for George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex, or BCDC — a hub for industry partners and government agencies.

The BCDC coordinates closely with industry partners, too. In their own words: “It’s more than a contract — it’s a relationship. They’re not just external partners; they’re integrated into our team.” 

Though it may seem straightforward to grow industry connections, A&M should be accountable, and knowing exactly what our partners — Lockheed Martin, RTX Corporation, or Raytheon, and the DoD — do with our research and institutional resources is crucial. 

In March 2025, Fort Worth officials filed a $420 million lawsuit against 29 entities, including the DoD, 3M, DuPont and RTX Corporation. The lawsuit alleges that the entities knowingly contaminated Fort Worth’s drinking water sources.

Moreover, the corporate entities are alleged to have knowingly sold products that contain polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — forever chemicals that cause serious health risks like cancer. Products containing PFAS were sold to Air Force Plant 4, operated by Lockheed Martin.  In 2023, Lockheed Martin committed to continuing its research programming and planned to establish a talent pipeline in A&M Fort Worth in lieu of A&M’s “one of a kind public-private collaboration” with defense giants. 

Fort Worth — which rejected the initial payout settlement proposed in 2023 — had to pay a firm $6.3 million to figure out a way to remove PFAS from its water supply, in addition to filing the lawsuit. Dallas, a city of 1.3 million people, also rejected the proposed 2023 settlement, calling the funds “grossly inadequate.” The DoD, since Sept. 23, has delayed nationwide cleanup and stall some communities by decades. 

These major ethical concerns don’t just stop at domestic lawsuits — they travel abroad.

Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth is the epicenter of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program. Piece by piece, F-35 aircraft are built by global partners, assembled in Fort Worth, transported to Houston and exported to Israel through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales , or FMS, program.

In 2023, Israel bought its third fleet of F-35 jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin and confirmed that these jets were used to “strike terror targets and assist ground forces in very close proximity strikes.”

Israel has since used F-35s to attack Iran and Qatar. A Dutch court also found that it was likely F-35 jets were being used in Gaza. 

According to a September 2025 report by Amnesty International, Lockheed Martin and Boeing enable the ongoing genocide against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. That shouldn’t come as a surprise since, in 2024, two U.S.-made munitions were used to strike a Gaza school, after which 22 people were reportedly killed. CNN was unable to verify whether Hamas operatives were present at the school. 

According to Human Rights Watch , or HRW, more than 230 global organizations urge all countries to stop supplying Israel with F-35 jets. Aircraft like the U.S.-manufactured F-35 jet are fundamental to the continued success of Israel’s offensive air operations. 

In June 2025, the courts of the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands restricted some arms exports, as they collectively recognize the fact that their weapons may be used by Israel to commit violations of international humanitarian law. 

We know what these weapons can do — A&M plays an integral part in housing testing sites for weapons that Lockheed Martin sells across the world. This relationship is a part of a larger apparatus that grounds the Texas economy — one that exploits international armed conflict.

Don’t believe me? Just ask Chancellor Glen Hegar.

In 2023, Chancellor Hegar bought a total of at least $65 million in Israel Bonds as Texas Comptroller. He claimed that “the State of Israel is a solid investment.” These bonds are alleged to offer a reliable rate of return and carry an interest rate of 5.4%. 

Today, Texas law bans its government from contracting with companies that boycott Israel. Should a company contract with the Texas government, that company is also forced to be open to do business with the state of Israel — they, like us, are given no choice.

We stand as cogs in a machine — a bureaucratic knot that complicates our lives. But our principles still stand. It becomes increasingly clear that our partners may act against our principles. As an institution with the power to change, we can and should create new choices. 

If integrity is what defines an Aggie, we must stop enabling destruction, whether in our homes or in other people’s homes. If we fail to, innocent lives will be lost, and we will know who was responsible — we just weren’t courageous enough to prevent it.

Sidney Uy is a philosophy junior and opinion writer for The Battalion.