(NewsReady.com) – In October, The Washington Post published a bombshell report about 500 retired military personnel working for foreign governments after leaving the Armed Forces. The shocking revelation caused concern on Capitol Hill. Three members of Congress have now sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the matter.
On December 13, Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Michael Cloud (R-TX), and Jason Crow (D-CO) wrote to discuss the act of retired military personnel going to work for countries “with known human rights abuses and histories of political oppression.” The former members of the Armed Forces received waivers to do so. However, the lawmakers are worried about the lack of transparency, lack of standardized internal procedures, lack of enforcement when they violate US law, conflicts of interest, and concerns found by the state department.
I am demanding answers from the Defense & State Departments on recently released documents showing that 500+ retired military officials took jobs paying upwards of 7 figures with foreign governments, some with known human rights abuses. pic.twitter.com/RIDjFagyXD
— Rep. Suzan DelBene (@RepDelBene) December 13, 2022
The lawmakers asked the secretaries to answer a number of questions. They want to know what criteria is used for approving or denying waivers. Additionally, the representatives want to know if the State Department is providing the Defense Department (DOD) with guidance during the process. Also, they want to know how conflicts of interest are resolved when they pop up and ask for answers about several other concerns.
Are you concerned about former members of the military working for foreign governments?
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