The story
From military (adjective) + industrial (adjective) + complex (noun), popularized by Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), the 34th President of the United States, in his farewell address in 1961: see the quotation.
First known use, by meaning
- from early 20th c. Military and industrial facilities situated in the same place.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.