Why was the military-industrial complex questioned in the 1990s?

The military-industrial complex was questioned in the 1990s primarily because of the end of the Cold War, which had a profound impact on military and defense policy and spending. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States and its allies no longer faced the same level of threat that had justified a large-scale military buildup during the decades-long Cold War.

As a result, many people began to question the need for maintaining such a massive and costly military apparatus, including the network of defense contractors and manufacturers known as the military-industrial complex. This led to calls for a "peace dividend," where the funds previously spent on defense could be reallocated to other areas such as social programs, education, or deficit reduction.

In addition, the 1990s saw increasing scrutiny of the defense procurement process, with concerns about wasteful spending, cost overruns, and a lack of competition within the defense industry. The fact that certain projects were continued even though they didn't seem to have a clear purpose or enemy to counter, led critics to argue that some decisions were more about protecting corporate interests and jobs rather than national security interests.

Furthermore, the rise of global terrorism and asymmetric warfare also shifted focus away from conventional threats, which questioned the traditional defense paradigms and the role of the military-industrial complex in this new security environment.