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■"An Office and a Gentleman: In Corporate Jobs, Old Generals Find a Hero's Welcome," by Leslie Wayne, New York Times, 19 June 2005, p. BU1.
The U.S. spends almost $80 billion a year on weapons, so guess how hard it is for retired four-stars to find seats on big corporate boards upon retirement. The "grey beards," as they are known inside the military, become a powerful voice for the past, as they tend to advocate for big, established programs that fit the wars they remember from their command youth. Their powerful connections tend to create a drag on change. Among this crowd, you find a lot of retired flags who still argue vehemently for China-as-the-next-threat. Why? It fits the model they grew up with. They spent most of their military careers making such arguments for the Leviathan force.
You want to find the voices for the SysAdmin force, then talk to the young officers just back from command in the Gulf. But they're about 20 years away from sitting on any corporate boards, so expect the acquisitions community to put up one helluva fight to retain their preferred Leviathan force structure for as long as possible.
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