Ben Hodges, former general who now works for a defense lobbyist firm, shares his deep analysis of the Wagner incident in Russia last weekend
Ben Hodges, former general who now works for a defense lobbyist firm, shares his deep analysis of the Wagner incident in Russia last weekend
"Expert" media advice is in plentiful supply
Ben Hodges was head of the US. Army in Europe 2014-2018. He’s often on newscasts and podcast these days giving his expert advice on Russia and Ukraine. Including this very recent one.1
This is the YouTube description of Hodges:
Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. He has been Senior Advisor to Human Rights First since June 2022 and also serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics. Until recently was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, the Transatlantic relationship and international security.
Obviously a genuine expert source.
Oh, he also currently works for Republic Consulting LLC2, whose business includes defense lobbying. The company’s website doesn’t specify that Hodges works directly on defense lobbying. It’s always possible they hired a very prominent ex-general but don’t use him for defense lobbying. Their website describes the areas of focus as follows3:
Maybe Hodges just works on health care and financial services for them.
So what does Hodges have to say? Well, he thinks that Wagner incident last weekend means that Putin is a wimp and the West should feel perfectly fine about escalating and escalating some more in Ukraine. And, heck, he ain’t worried about all them nukes, only wimps fret about such things. And, shoot, even if Putin ordered a nuclear strike, his subordinates might just decide not to do it!
I’m guessing that for Republic Consulting LLC and their defense-industry clients won’t have any problems with that recommendation. Whether Hodges directly does defense lobbying or not, their clients in that sector are usually happy when people provide justifications for higher and higher and higher military budgets.
Whether it actually makes foreign policy sense, well, “foreign policy” isn’t in Republic Consulting’s list of “Representative Issue Areas.” Peace is generally not the best advertisement for weapons sales.
Putin “wilted” last Saturda, Mr. Republic Consulting LLC says in the interview. Did he? As of right now, he’s still in office. And the leader of the Wagner mini-rebellion is supposedly in Belarus, a country closely allied to Russia, where he is presumably taking care not to be hanging out in offices in the upper floors of tall buildings.
Hodges also seems very confident three days after the coup-attempt-or-whatever-it-was on Saturday that he knows what it all means. I’m sure his employers are happy to see him making serious-sounding, confident, and articulate comments promoting the need to escalate war in Ukraine. Because he’s been out there all over American and European media doing it for the last year and a half.
But, to repeat the perennial point of critics of militarist politics and media, media outlets featuring arms lobbyist giving “expert” commentary on military affairs really owe it to the viewers to explicit disclose their role as lobbyists.
Ben Hodges - After the Wagner Coup what is the Likely Future for Vladimir Putin and the Russian Army. Silicon Curtain YouTube channel 06/27/2023.
Ben Hodges, LTG USA, ret.-Senior Advisor. Republic Consulting LLC website. <https://www.republicconsulting.com/about-hodges.php> (Accessed: 2023-28-06).
What We Do. Republic Consulting LLC website. <https://www.republicconsulting.com/whatwedo.php> (Accessed: 2023-28-06).