Why Corporate America Needs More Veteran CEOs | Opinion

The American economy is bursting with innovation from Silicon Valley startups reshaping entire industries to biotech labs rewriting what’s possible in medicine. But amid all this creation, one thing is in short supply: leaders who can guide organizations through a real crisis and keep teams aligned when the stakes are highest. 

Every company hires for talent. What most lack are skilled operators: people who don’t just work hard, but work with purpose. 

That’s where veterans come in. 

In a recent Newsweek article, the case was made for hiring more veterans in the workforce. As an Iraq War veteran myself and former undersecretary of the Army, I couldn’t agree more. But the truth goes deeper: Veterans aren’t just equipped to contribute to a business; they’re uniquely prepared to run one. 

Veterans build systems and align teams. They take issues head-on and know how to solve problems. That is exactly the kind of leadership businesses need. 

Each year, about 200,000 service members transition out of the military into civilian life. Many leave with no clear next step. 

Fortunately, there’s a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. small businesses are owned by baby boomers heading into retirement. Thousands of profitable, well-run companies need new leadership at the exact moment veterans are stepping forward with unmatched operational experience. 

This handover of business ownership is called entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), buying and operating an existing company rather than building one from scratch. It’s the ultimate operator play: take something that works and make it work better. 

Veterans are built for the kind of world we live in now: one that’s fast, unpredictable and constantly changing. They’ve been trained to lead teams and make critical decisions under impossible conditions. 

Give veterans a problem, and they’ll solve it with the kind of disciplined focus that most CEOs spend millions trying to cultivate through consultants and corporate retreats. 

There’s a reason some of the world’s biggest companies were founded by veterans, including Nike, Walmart and FedEx. 

Veterans operate with purpose before ego, team before self and mission above all else.

It’s a mindset that scales well beyond the military. It’s what allows a startup to survive when funding dries up or what lets a manager make the hard call that keeps a company alive. 

Veterans bring this mindset wherever they go. They know how to plan under pressure, execute under constraint and build systems that make everyone around them better. 

In the military, failure isn’t an abstract concept. It’s life or death. When vets enter the civilian world, they don’t lose that discipline; they just apply it to new kinds of missions. 

Military training prepares vets to excel at project management, data analysis, logistics and systems thinking—all essential skills for running a company. The core competencies of teamwork, strategic planning and problem-solving align directly with many corporate roles. Years of structured training also make vets highly trainable to learn new skills. 

Above all, veterans bring courage, character and competence. 

Throughout my career, I’ve done everything in my power to help veterans build flourishing careers. That’s why I’ve spent years helping veterans make the jump into the workforce by serving on the Hiring Our Heroes team at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and working closely with organizations like Owners in Honor to support veterans stepping into leadership and ownership roles. We help over 80,000 transitioning veterans and military spouses each year.

Back in July, I stood in front of 450 troops at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst before they interviewed 60 employers. I gave them every piece of advice I could. How to network. How to navigate interviews. How to stay resilient. How to be ready to accept a “No,” but to find the confidence and resiliency to drive on with grit. 

In the end, this isn’t just about jobs. It’s about the kind of workforce we want to build. Give veterans a problem, and they will solve it. 

Give them a mission, and they will own it. 

Give them a company, and they will grow it. 

Veterans have already proven they have the strength when the stakes are life and death. Now we need to give them the chance to do it again—back home, leading the workforce and owning more companies. 

Patrick J. Murphy leads the geopolitical unit at Hilco Global, an international financial services company. He was the 32nd Army undersecretary and is currently a Wharton Business School advising entrepreneur.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.