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Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#131

Post by yucky »

credit_guy wrote: post #3

Well, they are free people, not slaves. If they want to take a job in the private sector, they should have the freedom to do it, including working for a sovereign state that is not an enemy. Of course, they have knowledge of classified stuff, but I'm sure there are protocols around that, and they are aware of it. It would be more scandalous if they were to take jobs with Russia, or Iran. But Saudi Arable is a US ally…

Russia and Iran weren't behind 9/11, Saudi Arabia (or at least key parts of the current ruling royal family) was.

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#132

Post by dsfyu404ed »

aerostable_slug wrote: post #7
mjevans wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Non-competes should include compensation commensurate for the non-compete period. In the case of these individuals is the retirement package not sufficient to guard national secrets?

The security agreements they signed are sufficient to guard national secrets. It has nothing to do with whether they go to work for Raytheon, the Saudi Defense Ministry, or Goodwill in their retirement, their compensation packages, etc.

Working for Raytheon vs working for KSA is like the difference between buying an index that has a bunch of AAPL and buying AAPL. You're "fractionally" working for KSA (and whoever else).

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#133

Post by dsfyu404ed »

marshray wrote: post #49
credit_guy wrote: post #3

Well, they are free people, not slaves. If they want to take a job in the private sector, they should have the freedom to do it, including working for a sovereign state that is not an enemy. Of course, they have knowledge of classified stuff, but I'm sure there are protocols around that, and they are aware of it. It would be more scandalous if they were to take jobs with Russia, or Iran. But Saudi Arable is a US ally…

My dim understanding is that once you are enrolled in General- and Admiral-level security clearances, you are not quite free free to freelance your experience globally without significant limitations. The key questions raised would seem to be: did they in fact obtain the required signoffs, and are the current requirements sufficient or do they need some adjustment?

>did they in fact obtain the required signoffs,

You don't get official "signoff" when you're at that level. You get plausibly deniable permission with the understanding that the powers that be reserve the right to pull the rug out from under you should doing so be politically expedient.

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#136

Post by imgabe »

If they're an ally, it's to our benefit that their military is strong.

If they become an enemy, it doesn't hurt that we built their military and know everything about it inside out.

If the US could make every other country's military a subsidiary of the US military, they would.

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#137

Post by bombcar »

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #122
photochemsyn wrote: post #106

This has been going on for years, but now it's news? Here's a blurb from some random 2009 blog post on how this works (more about Iraq, but Vinnell has been training Saudi forces for years, and probably is involved with Yemen as well): > "The Pentagon has awarded a 48-million-dollar contract to train the nucleus of a new Iraqi army to Vinnell Corporation, a US firm which also trains the Saudi National Guard. The Fair…

> The Pentagon has awarded a 48-million-dollar contract to train the nucleus of a new Iraqi army to Vinnell Corporation, a US firm which also trains the Saudi National Guard. Were similar contracts in place for training Afghani Army? Maybe we should get a refund? I found shocking how western media just declared Afghani army as incapable and closed the chapter. Someone was in charge of this program for 20 years. Someo…

Nobody wants to talk about training the Afghans for 20 years and having them decide to be citizens or Taliban the moment we left.

Training went well, but why would they bother once we're gone?

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#139

Post by miles »

groffee wrote: post #89
nosianu wrote: post #57

Also just today: BBC headline "Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, MoD says" https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63293582 With more background info: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/is-china-really-using-... Some highlights from the BBC article: > Former British military pilots are being lured to China with large sums of money to pass on their expertise to the Chinese military, it is claimed. > Up to 30 former…

Quoted post unavailable.

> In August, the RAF stopped recruiting 'white men'

Pause on hiring white males pushes head of British air force recruitment to resign, report says https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/pause-on-hiring-white-mal...

> Multiple British defense sources reportedly told Australia's Sky News that the head of the Royal Air Force's (RAF) recruitment office resigned over concerns an effective pause on hiring white males, in favor of people of color and women, will undermine the RAF's readiness.

> Defense sources allegedly insisted the RAF placed a pause on hiring white males in pursuit of diversity and inclusion goals.

> "You look at the head of the RAF and he's prepared to break the operational requirement of the air force just to meet diversity [targets]," one of the sources reportedly told Sky News. "I think he needs to be hauled up by the Ministry of Defence and told: This is the defense agenda, get on it."

> However, an RAF spokesperson disputed the allegations.

> There is no pause in Royal Air Force recruitment and no new policy with regards to meeting in-year recruitment requirements," the spokesperson said, according to Sky News. ...

Re: Retired U.S. generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince

#140

Post by gigatexal »

I know they’re ostensibly an ally of the US but I find this hella suspect and not at all cool on their part. Sure they’re likely doing it for the money. But MBS is a bad dude, he killed an American journalist, and the Saudis would sell us out to the highest bidder if they could.
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