Uber’s plan to turn current and former military members and their families into UberX drivers took a big leap forward with the creation of the UberMILITARY Advisory board announced on Wednesday. The new board will be chaired by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and includes high-ranking retired members from every branch of the military except the Coast Guard. Uber has promised to sign up 50,000 drivers connected to the military in the next year and a half, and hopes that the advisory board will help them reach that goal.
“Thousands of partners from across the country have already taken advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunity offered by the UberMILITARY initiative and today, were thrilled to announce the outstanding individuals who have signed up to help lead this effort as part of the UberMILITARY Advisory Board,” Uber wrote in its announcement. “This powerhouse advisory board will serve in a volunteer capacity alongside UberMILITARY Board Chairman, Former Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates, and will help Uber continue to put forward initiatives to positively impact military communities.”
The board includes generals and admirals who have held important positions in the military over the last decade or so. Among the board members is General Stanley McChrystal, who commanded the International Security Assistance Force but is perhaps most famous for resigning after a Rolling Stone article showed him and his staff speaking less than respectfully of his superiors, prompting him to call and apologize to Vice-President Biden. The Uber announcement doesn’t mention this, but it is a name that stands out in comparison to the others except for Secretary Gates.
To promote the new board and the military recruitment program, Uber picked some of its new driver partners, nominated for their high-quality service, to come to D.C. for the Concert for Valor, a big Veteran’s Day event hosted by HBO, Starbucks and Chase. This could be the kind of deep well of drivers Uber needs to keep up with the growing demand and its push for faster geographic growth.
“We look forward to celebrating our nations veterans next week and to bringing thousands of additional members of the military community onto the Uber platform in the coming months,” Uber wrote.
