Retired generals getting rich from conflicts of interest
USA Today tells the unseemly tale of retired American generals who go to work for the defense industry, but also work as paid “mentors” to the military, which gets them helpful inside information — and all the while collecting generous pensions. My view: If you are going to do this mentoring, do it for free, ...
USA Today tells the unseemly tale of retired American generals who go to work for the defense industry, but also work as paid "mentors" to the military, which gets them helpful inside information -- and all the while collecting generous pensions. My view: If you are going to do this mentoring, do it for free, as an act of patriotism and gratitude. Otherwise it looks like a racket of insiders spreading the wealth around other insiders.
USA Today tells the unseemly tale of retired American generals who go to work for the defense industry, but also work as paid “mentors” to the military, which gets them helpful inside information — and all the while collecting generous pensions. My view: If you are going to do this mentoring, do it for free, as an act of patriotism and gratitude. Otherwise it looks like a racket of insiders spreading the wealth around other insiders.
There will be a bunch of outraged responses about 30 years of dedicated service and how dare people question their ethics. My test on this is easy: Would George C. Marshall have accepted such payments? I doubt it. (Remember, he declined to write a memoir that would have made him wealthy because he thought it would have been improper to get into the failings of some of his comrades.)
By the way, if the New York Times can win a Pulitzer for its story about generals going on TV too much, this one should win two.
Department of Defense
More from Foreign Policy
Russians Are Unraveling Before Our Eyes
A wave of fresh humiliations has the Kremlin struggling to control the narrative.
A BRICS Currency Could Shake the Dollar’s Dominance
De-dollarization’s moment might finally be here.
Is Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ Factual or Farcical?
A former U.S. ambassador, an Iran expert, a Libya expert, and a former U.K. Conservative Party advisor weigh in.
The Battle for Eurasia
China, Russia, and their autocratic friends are leading another epic clash over the world’s largest landmass.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
