Topline: The Rock has layeth the smackdown on the U.S. Army’s budget.
The Pentagon’s $11 million marketing deal with pro wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson likely didn’t cause a single person to enlist in the Army, according to internal documents obtained by Military.com.
The Army estimates that it actually lost 38 enlistments by not using its time and money on other recruiting tactics.
Key facts: The deal included $5 million for Johnson to make five social media posts promoting the military to his 396 million Instagram followers, but Johnson only posted twice.
The Army logo was also displayed on players’ jerseys during the debut season of the United Football League earlier this year — the upstart minor league alternative to the NFL. But the league, which Johnson co-owns, had viewership that “was too low, and even the most optimistic estimation showed the partnership would not yield many recruits,” according to Military.com.
Marketing officials warned of the financial risk, but Army Chief of Staff Randy George pushed for the deal directly, according to emails.
Another internal document claims the Army picked up a “significant amount of additional work” because of the UFL’s “lack of experience” with marketing deals.
The Army is asking Johnson to return $6 million, though Military.com says it’s unclear how that number was determined.
Background: Waste is not uncommon at the Pentagon’s lethargic bureaucracy.
Only 21% of the Department of Defense’s 2025 budget request will go to “Active Forces.” Far more will go toward “operations & maintenance” such as marketing.
Other questionable marketing campaigns have included the $4.3 million the Navy spent last year on advertising through online video games, including paying officers to play Fortnite.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Critical quote: “While the Army may have thought they were getting The Rock, they were instead primarily getting a partnership with a minor football league,” former Pentagon communications advisor Megan Sweeney told Fortune. “The Rock is an investor of the UFL, but it’s not like he’s on the sidelines of every game. As a result, the Army seems to have paid Hollywood-level sponsorship money for minor-league exposure.”
Summary: If Johnson’s long-rumored presidential bid ever becomes a reality, he’ll need to learn more about helping the government get value out of its contracts.
