The sex scandal involving Petraeus has exposed the trappings that come with a senior general’s lifestyle.
The commanders who lead America's military enjoy an array of perquisites befitting a billionaire, including executive jets, palatial homes, drivers, security guards and aides to carry their bags, press their uniforms and track their schedules in 10-minute increments. Their food is prepared by gourmet chefs. If they want music with their dinner parties, their staff can summon a string quartet or a choir.
The elite regional commanders who preside over large swaths of the planet don’t have to settle for a humble Gulfstream jet. They each have a C-40, the military equivalent of a Boeing 737, some of which are configured with beds. The amenities afforded to today’s military leaders are more lavish than anyone else in government enjoys, save for the president.
Compared with today’s plutocrats, their pay is modest. In 2013, the base salary for a four-star general with at least 38 years of service will be almost $235,000, although federal personnel regulations limit their take-home pay to $179,700. Unlike top civilians in government, top generals also receive free housing and subsidies for food and uniforms. And when they retire, those who have served at least 40 years get an annual pension that is slightly more than active-duty base pay — this year it is $236,650.
When he was former head of the U.S. Africa Command, Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for private travel, including using military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa, according to a report by the Defense Department’s inspector general. The report detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members — he billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite — and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled in Washington. The report also said Ward often took longer-than-necessary business trips to the United States, resulting in “exponential” increases in costs. The current top U.S. commander in Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, also came under the scrutiny of the inspector general for using a military jet to fly to the Burgundy region of France for a dinner organized by an international society of wine enthusiasts.
“You can become completely disconnected from the way people live in the regular world — and even from the modest lifestyle of others in the military,” David Barno, a retired three-star general who commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan, warned.
Petraeus cultivated his fame. In 2009, he was asked to flip the coin at the Super Bowl. He became an A-list guest at Washington parties. Hostesses delighted at the presence of commanders in full-dress uniforms at social events. Many hope a general or two sprinkled among canape-munching guests would bring elevated social status.
The commanders who lead America's military enjoy an array of perquisites befitting a billionaire, including executive jets, palatial homes, drivers, security guards and aides to carry their bags, press their uniforms and track their schedules in 10-minute increments. Their food is prepared by gourmet chefs. If they want music with their dinner parties, their staff can summon a string quartet or a choir.
The elite regional commanders who preside over large swaths of the planet don’t have to settle for a humble Gulfstream jet. They each have a C-40, the military equivalent of a Boeing 737, some of which are configured with beds. The amenities afforded to today’s military leaders are more lavish than anyone else in government enjoys, save for the president.
Compared with today’s plutocrats, their pay is modest. In 2013, the base salary for a four-star general with at least 38 years of service will be almost $235,000, although federal personnel regulations limit their take-home pay to $179,700. Unlike top civilians in government, top generals also receive free housing and subsidies for food and uniforms. And when they retire, those who have served at least 40 years get an annual pension that is slightly more than active-duty base pay — this year it is $236,650.
When he was former head of the U.S. Africa Command, Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for private travel, including using military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa, according to a report by the Defense Department’s inspector general. The report detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members — he billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite — and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled in Washington. The report also said Ward often took longer-than-necessary business trips to the United States, resulting in “exponential” increases in costs. The current top U.S. commander in Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, also came under the scrutiny of the inspector general for using a military jet to fly to the Burgundy region of France for a dinner organized by an international society of wine enthusiasts.
“You can become completely disconnected from the way people live in the regular world — and even from the modest lifestyle of others in the military,” David Barno, a retired three-star general who commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan, warned.
Petraeus cultivated his fame. In 2009, he was asked to flip the coin at the Super Bowl. He became an A-list guest at Washington parties. Hostesses delighted at the presence of commanders in full-dress uniforms at social events. Many hope a general or two sprinkled among canape-munching guests would bring elevated social status.
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