- WaPo reports that hundreds of military personnel have been employed in foreign countries since 2015.
- Many accept lucrative jobs that pay seven-figure salaries and provide benefits.
- According to WaPo, some of these countries that veterans work for have committed violations of human rights.
According to a report, hundreds of former military officers took high-paying positions in foreign governments. These jobs sometimes paid up to seven figures in salaries and benefits, despite the fact that some countries are accused of human rights violations.
The Washington Post has launched a new investigationIt was found that over 500 ex-military personnel have been employed by foreign governments since 2015. The majority of the jobs were in North Africa or Middle East.
The Post was able to find out more about the jobs via a Freedom of Information Act request.
For example, the Australian government offered more than $10 million to former US Navy officers for consulting deals. One retired general from the US Air Force was offered a job as a consultant in Azerbaijan with a salary of $5,000 per day.
The Post reports that a basic salary for a four-star general who has more than 20 years of experience is $203,698 annually.
The Post reported that Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of repeatedly violating human rights, has hired at most 15 retired US generals, admirals, and generals as consultants to its Defense Ministry.
A former Navy Seal was appointed as a Special Operations Advisor for $258,000 per year.
US military personnel are allowed to continue working from the country despite Saudi Arabia’s violation of outside dissenters.
Jamal Khashoggi (a columnist at The Post) was shot and killed in Istanbul’s Saudi Consulate. Officials later admitted that Saudi agents were responsible for a “rogue operation” which was not known to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, the CIA found that the crown Prince was guilty of the “rogue operation”. Ordained the assassination.
Yet, many military personnel have taken jobs from Saudi Arabian companies since Khashoggi was killed.
Retired general James L. Jones, who served as national security advisor during the Obama administration, has two Virginia-based consulting firms — Ironhand Security LLC and Jones Group International LLC — that have contracts with Saudi Arabia.
Jones stated that Trump encouraged him to accept more contracts from the Defense Ministry of the United States in an interview with The Post. Jones said that his companies hold four of these contracts and have 53 US citizens living in Riyadh. The Post reported that eight of these contracts are for retired generals or admirals and that 32 are for former lower-ranking military personnel.
Jones stated to The Post that no one ever approached Jones and suggested pulling out. “I don’t know what the alternative would be if we had pulled out. I was concerned that the Saudis might drift to other relations with the Chinese or the Russians. I wasn’t sure that this would be a good idea.
Charles Wald, a former four-star Air Force General, accepted a job in Riyadh to work for Jones’ firm. He said that there was much debate about whether or not to continue working for Saudi Arabi following Khashoggi’s murder.
“We asked ourselves if we are really turning a blindeye to immorality. Wald explained to The Post that Wald supported a legitimate government. The firm decided that it would stay.
Other military personnel have also taken jobs in Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere.
The Emoluments Clause RestrictionsAccording to the Consitution, retired US military personnel cannot receive consulting fees or gifts from foreign governments. This applies generally to those who have served at least 20 year in uniform and are eligible for a pension.
The Post discovered however that approval is almost always granted. Nearly 95% of 500 requests submitted since 2015 were granted. The Post reported that some active-duty service personnel had negotiated employment with foreign governments.
According to the publication, there is no penalty for violating law and enforcement is very rare.
Michael Flynn (former national security advisor to Donald Trump) is one of the most notorious cases in which a former US military officer was penalized for accepting payments from a foreign country.
According to The Post an investigation by The Defense Department found Flynn receiving approximately $450,000 from Russian or Turkish sources in 2015. This was one year after he had retired from the Army.
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his connections to a Russian Ambassador in December 2017. Trump Flynn pardoned in November 2020.
