Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has embarked on a well-paid speaking tour.
The retired general has earned $204,000 a year when in the military, The Intercept reported. Milley has found employment working for JPMorgan Chase, according to Bloomberg. He has also reportedly become a faculty member of Princeton University and Georgetown University. These positions are likely to prove more lucrative financially, according to The Intercept. (RELATED: Mark Milley Says Americans Oppose Ukraine Aid Because They Have ‘Had It With Wars’)
The paid speaking gig may earn him millions as the Harry Walker Agency, the firm that represented Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches, is handling his speaking tour, the outlet first reported.
Clinton earned around $200,000 for each speech, according to The New York Times. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of money The Intercept reported Milley earned in a year as a general.
“General Milley’s substantive experience in leadership provides impressive and enlightening insight for every audience who engages with him. General Milley’s depth of knowledge and discernment of today’s geopolitical issues gives shape and meaning to the shifting power centers in the global operational environment … More than a lesson in history or current events, General Milley helps audiences understand the significance of this moment in time as a potential turning point in history,” the Harry Walker Agency touted in its press release about Milley.
This rapid transition from a capped military salary to lucrative contracts with prestigious firms and institutions is called “cashing in” from one’s career by officers in the military, The Intercept reported.
On one such speaking occasion where Milley was listed as a major speaker to the American Council on Education’s 2024 President and Chancellor’s Summit, his speaking session was sponsored by Deloitte, a major consultant and accounting firm, an events page stated. The speech itself was described by the page as commenting on “the convergence of democracy, higher education, and moral leadership during times of crisis” and drawing “on his extensive military experience and leadership roles.”
“The Summit was exclusively for presidents and chancellors, and there is no transcript,” Jonathan Riskind, the American Council on Education’s vice president of public affairs and strategic communications, told The Intercept.
Milley served in Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11 with neither conflict being considered to be won by the United States, according to FactCheck. Milley was also Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
When The Intercept pressed for transcripts of Milley’s speaking engagements and for details of compensation from these speeches, Moelis & Company, the Harry Walker Agency and Milley did reply to the request at the time of writing.