Lockheed Martin. WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION?

Geez LM.  Are you guys crazy?  Do you have a pain fetish?  Do you like getting kicked in the nuts over and over?  In short what is your major malfunction?

WTF am I talking about?  Check out this interview with the den of evil...but as usual a tidbit.

It was hardly surprising when Lockheed Martin announced this spring that Chris Kubasik would succeed Robert J. Stevens as CEO at the start of 2013. The world's largest defense contractor had telegraphed the move two years ago, when Stevens relinquished the title of president to Kubasik, who was once a partner at accounting giant Ernst & Young and joined the company in 1999.
But he will take the top job under less than ideal circumstances: next January also happens to be when $500 billion in automatic cuts in U.S. defense spending could begin taking place under a legislative process known as “sequestration.” Lockheed Martin has warned that if Congress does not avert the cuts, it will be forced to lay off 10,000 employees, or 8% of its workforce. The company already has reduced its staff, including senior management, during the past two years as it seeks to get ahead of leaner Pentagon budgets. Kubasik met with AW&ST Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. and Managing Editor Joseph C. Anselmo at Lockheed Martin's headquarters in Bethesda, Md., to discuss his plans to maintain the company's strong profit margins, what he is telling its 29,000 suppliers, and his close oversight of the over-budget F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

Thats the beginning of the interview.

Does that sound like something thats even approaching fluffy interview territory?  Does that not sound like the beginning of the French Inquisition?

Why the brain trust at LM continues to put themselves through the Aviation Week meatgrinder is beyond me but the coverage of that program by AW has tainted the entire defense industry.

Companies are more guarded than ever about their projects.

The military is alot less forthcoming about issues with their projects.

A wall of silence is falling into place and it all started with the coverage of the F-35, extended to the FCS and even nudged the EFV.  Careers were made by destroying programs but the ramifications that came with that reporting (including the slaps on the back and the rounds of drinks) has led us to a dark place.

Thanks guys....and LM...get your balls back...and I'm not talking about the kind you play sports with.