Defense industry CEOs face tough questions at Politico conference ... from a protester

Politico’s national security and foreign policy coverage took some heat late last year for being sponsored in part by the defense industry, and the Beltway media outlet leaned into its relationship with weapons makers this week by prominently featuring industry leaders at its 2022 Defense Summit in Washington. 

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and another less well-known firm, Improbable U.S. Defense & National Security, sponsored the Summit. But the companies’ names were not just displayed prominently at the Summit and on its website — as is somewhat usual for this kind of event — Politico also gave a representative from each company a prominent role in the Summit by participating in what it dubbed “executive conversations.” 

Except the three panels were less conversational and more infomercial, as the Politico interviewer in each appeared to rattle off a series of scripted questions that let the companies explain why their products are necessary for the defense of the United States. It was essentially similar to sponsored content one might see on some mainstream news websites. 

Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami was tasked with shepherding Lockheed’s ads with leading questions for its CEO, Jim Taiclet. Sheikholeslami teed up Taiclet’s talking points about a dangerous world with China as the focus, Taiclet’s “frontline perspective,” a reference to his military service, the inhibiting nature of continuing resolutions on military contracts, and Lockheed’s future outlook. Taiclet argued that the Pentagon needed a parallel funding pipeline, “a swim lane,” so that the defense industry could make its products faster. "That is the only way we are going to keep up with the Chinese,” he said.

Politico’s vice president for client partnerships and paid media Heidi Sommer later gave Improbable president and general manager Caitlin Dohrman many opportunities to tell us “about this technology that you all have been pioneering.” In response to Sommer’s questions, Dohrman appeared to be reading her answers directly from a notebook she had on stage. 

Lastly, Cally Baute, Politico’s senior vice president for consumer business spoke with Raytheon president Wes Kremer. Baute praised Raytheon’s hypersonic weapons as “game changers for the military,” and provided Kremer with many opportunities to say why the U.S. military needs Raytheon’s products. 

The only scrutiny any of these defense firms received was from a protester during Taiclet’s “executive conversation.” She crashed the stage holding a sign that read, “Lockheed Loves War,” saying that the company is “a war profiteer.”  

“The U.S. military is the largest polluter in the entire history of the world,” the protester said. “You’re guilty and the whole world knows it. There’s no place for you in our future.” 

“Don’t be rough with her,” Taiclet can be heard telling the security as they ushered the protester off the stage. 

After the scene ended, neither Sheikholeslami nor Taiclet acknowledged what had just happened. 

“So, you were talking about the budget process,” Sheikholeslami said.