The New Job / Y Swydd Newydd

Since I'm starting to feel the pressure to write something, perhaps I should take the most recent development in my life as a starting point. As most of you don't know, I was recently offered a job with EADS DS Ltd on their business graduate programme based in South Wales. For the majority of you who don't know, EADS stands for European Aeronautic Defence and Space company, with the DS standing for Defence and Security. This is slightly less ambiguous (and controversial) than the way I've been introducing the company to my dad's questioning friends - "the company that builds Airbus"!

What therefore are the ethical implications of working for a company that, one some levels, could be described as an arms firm. To say that I'll "be helping kill babies" as one friend summed up the news is certainly exaggerated. Moreover the DS branch of the company focuses on satellite communication, cryptography and civil defence and so is far removed from any lethal technology. It cannot be denied however that, as the second largest missile manufacturer in the world, and the manufacturer of the Eurofighter Typhoon, other branches of EADS are certainly 'hot'.

It has always been my belief that weapons are evil, but this is tempered with the acknowledgment that they are sometimes a necessary one in a world driven by competition, and where the weak are dominated by the strong. This is not the "end of history" and it would be irresponsible for states not to wholly lower their guard. The shot above of a Typhoon intercepting a Russian bomber demonstrates as much.

It is also worth remembering that these are essentially hypothetical weapons designed to defend the airspace of European states. Yes, they may occasionally be used in regional conflicts, but the prospect of a state using these technologies in an unilateral campaign of conquest are miniscule. I believe ultimately that high technology weapons such as ones built by EADS contribute to stability, not instability.

My final, and perhaps key justification is the fact that EADS is an European company producing advanced technology for the European aerospace market. In other words, it provides European leaders with the hard 'stick' which is surely necessary to give credence to any diplomatic campaign. As I will doubtless argue repeatedly in the blog, if Europeans expect their views and opinions to be listened to on the world stage, then they must accept the commitment to hard power which that entails. Just as Stalin asked how many divisions did the Pope command, so will Europe be challenged. It is my belief that EADS, as an European firm (independent of the US military-industrial complex), gives European leaders the tools to answer such challenges, and thus help make the world a better place.

There are of course flaws in my defence, some of which cannot be answered for reasons of time. I'm sure that some people would still reject the company's morality. However, I hope that I've at least laid out my views on the matter, since it was something that I thought long and hard over before arriving at my own personal conclusion. (you're welcome to disagree with me by the way).

More on the move to South Wales and the actual job in weeks to come...