Question

A persistent pattern of close relations among the Department of Defense, the Senate and House Committees on the armed forces, and defense industry contractors, with the intent of dominating policy-making in the sphere of defense, would be considered

Answer 1

That would be considered an example of the Iron Triangle in US government. The Iron Triangle consists of three groups: Congress (the committees), Bureaucracy (the Department of Defense), and Interest Groups (the defense industry). A close relation between the three points on the triangle signals the intent to dominate policy-making regarding defense.