U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis earns an annual salary of $207,800, according to public records. He oversees a department whose massive budget recently listed $8.2 billion for the Missile Defense Agency and $403 million for tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles.
This national security information is not confidential. It is available by law because these positions and programs are paid for and accountable to U.S. taxpayers.
By contrast, the Division I sports programs at U.S. military service academies are much more secretive about salaries and finances:
u25ba Army athletics has refused to reveal the contract terms of football coach Jeff Monken, including his pay or even the length of his new deal announced in September.