More than 500 retired US military personnel, including top army officials, have taken high-paying jobs working for foreign governments since 2015, according to a Washington Post investigation, largely in countries infamous for human rights abuses and political repression.

Since 2016, 15 retired US generals and admirals were paid for consultations offered to the Saudi Defense Ministry. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, is in charge of the Ministry, which, according to US intelligence services, ordered the execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, in 2018 as part of a savage crackdown on dissent.

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Paid advisors included retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, a national security advisor to President Barack Obama, and retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who led the National Security Agency under Obama and President George W. Bush, according to documents obtained by The Post under Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

Others who have worked as consultants for the Saudis since Khashoggi’s murder include a retired four-star Air Force general and a former commanding general of US troops in Afghanistan.

The vast majority of the retired US personnel have worked as civilian contractors for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf monarchs, playing vital, albeit mostly unseen, roles in their military modernization.

Apparently, #Biden wants to forget about his first fist bump with #Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, which made headlines after his visit to #SaudiArabia.#JoeBiden pic.twitter.com/EeXAIS4J7x

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 18, 2022

Meanwhile, the security forces of the Gulf countries have continued to conduct human rights violations both within and outside their borders. Saudi Arabia and the UAE led the war on Yemen, generating a worldwide humanitarian crisis and killing thousands of civilians with shared information, aerial refueling, and other help from the US government and contractors, according to United Nations investigators.

Foreign governments have historically used Americans as lobbyists, lawyers, political consultants, think tank researchers, and public relations experts to advance their interests in Washington. However, the recruiting of retired US military officers for their experience and political clout has increased over the last decade as oil-rich gulf monarchies have increased defense spending and expanded security partnerships with the Pentagon.

What does it take to work for foreign governments?

Retired troops and reservists are allowed by Congress to work for foreign governments only if approval from their branch of the armed forces and the State Department is obtained. However, under all circumstances, the US government has made extreme efforts to keep the high-paying jobs under the radar. For years, it withheld virtually all information about the practice, including which countries employ the most retired US service members and the amounts of money involved.

All army units involved; 6 and 7 figures paid

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), The Post sued the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the State Department in federal court. After a two-year legal battle, the paper obtained more than 4,000 pages of documents, including case files for about 450 retired soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.

The documents show that US "military talent" is often paid amply, with salary and benefits packages reaching six and, sometimes, seven figures. These numbers exceed by far what most American servicing members earn. At the top of the scale, active four-star generals earn $203,698 a year in basic pay.