90% of generals leave the military and immediately become military contractors.
Posted by The Joe Rogan Experience, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict3 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 50%
The Joe Rogan ExperienceNov 6, 2026
The sources support that a large majority of senior retiring generals move into the defense industry, but none shows 90% as a general rate. Reported figures are 70% (CREW, 2009–2011 cohort), 80% (Boston Globe, 2004–2008) and over 80% (Quincy, four-stars 2018–2023), with 90% appearing only as a single-year 2007 figure.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
The host raises this as a question. Shown here; not scored.
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What was said
… Should we have the ability for corporations to completely buy off the political process? Should senators be spending 90% of their time fundraising? Should 90% of generals leave and immediately go become military contractors? Is that appropriate? 90% we're talking about, we're talking about war, and we're talking about these bad incidents. Oh, why do we have such high healthcare costs? …
The Joe Rogan Experience · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. A CREW report covering 108 three- and four-star generals and admirals who retired 2009–2011 found 70% took jobs with defense contractors or consultants, which is below the claimed 90%.[4][5][6]
Supports. The Quincy Institute report finds 26 of 32 four-star generals and admirals who retired after June 2018 (over 80%) went to work for the arms industry, including as consultants, lobbyists, or board members.[3][8]
Supports. A Boston Globe investigation, as reported in 2010, found that 80% of three- and four-star generals who retired 2004–2008 entered the defense industry, and that 90% of retirees in 2007 went into the business almost immediately.[7]
Context. The 90% figure appears in the sources only as a one-year 2007 cohort in the Boston Globe investigation. No source reports 90% as a general rate across retiring generals, and the 2023 Responsible Statecraft piece reports the figure as over 80%.[7][8]
Context. Fact-check archives in the sources (PolitiFact, Snopes) contain no rating on this specific claim, so no authoritative fact-checker has rated it.[1][2][9]
Sources
9 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 5 not rated, 1 tier 3
- 1Militarypolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Fact Checkssnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3QUINCY BRIEF NO. 47 OCTOBER 2023 HARTUNG - Congress.govcongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Generals no longer retire to Vermont — they lobby for contractors in Washington - Florida Bulldogfloridabulldog.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5DOD Retirees: From 4-Star General to 7-Figure Incomethefiscaltimes.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Retired Generals and Admirals Cash In with Lucrative Jobs ...allgov.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 7'Rent-a-general' business blurs lines between Pentagon, ...rawstory.com · tier 3 · cited for: supports, context
- 8When 80 percent of US generals go to work for arms makersresponsiblestatecraft.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 9Fact-checks | PolitiFactapi.politifact.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post