The Spacecamp to Raytheon pipeline is real. https://twitter.com/nohaggerty/status/1340362586668343298

I have been working in defense-adjacent roles for my whole career now, and have been thinking about this pipeline recently. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have, show that it isn't black-and-white, and give some advice generally. (not directed at Noah)...

Very few people in aerospace and defense work on weapons directly. I have only met a few people who did, and despite having my working directly on DoD projects many times, I have never come anywhere close to developing weapons.

Everyone should set their own moral code and decide what they are willing to engage in and what they are not. Things can also be very gray. You may make a small part of a spacecraft or airplane for the DoD that could never be used as a weapon by itself.

You could make a widget that was designed for an exploration mission, but then your employer sells another to a defense contractor that gets used in a defense satellite, or the commercial imagery generated by your sat could be sold to domestic or foreign militaries.

You are not going to have control over how the products you develop will be used. It is just something you have to get comfortable with.
There are also a lot of things the DoD does which are very positive, like watching for ballistic missile launches or funding new technology.

Keep your personal code of conduct with you, but I am never going to judge someone for taking a defense job, nor do I think it is wrong for others to do so.
I came really close to designing bombs. And I would have done it because I needed a job.

As @KevZag pointed out, because of the rise of commercial space it is now easier than ever to be in space without being directly inside the defense industry. But every NewSpce company either has the DoD as a customer or wishes it did.

To wrap this up, I understand how it feels to look at an employer's website and only see pictures of tanks. But inside the defense industry is much more than weapons, and being outside of defense will still be defense adjacent. Get comfortable with things being fuzzy and gray.