WASHINGTON— The Department of Defense has launched a high-level investigation into the controversial Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, which was initially created during the Obama administration to recruit skilled noncitizens into the U.S. military. The inquiry, ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, seeks to determine whether the program was a conduit for foreign infiltration and whether enlistees—both past MAVNI recruits and current service members—have exploited the military benefits system through fraudulent disability claims.
Sources familiar with the matter say intelligence officials have long viewed MAVNI as a security liability, with reports indicating that individuals from adversarial nations may have used it as an entry point into the armed forces. Additionally, growing concerns within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suggest that some recruits—including those from Nepal—have taken advantage of veteran benefits after exiting the service prematurely.
MAVNI: A Backdoor for Foreign Adversaries?
Launched in 2009, the MAVNI program was intended to bolster the U.S. military with recruits possessing critical skills such as foreign language fluency and medical expertise. In return, these noncitizen enlistees were offered an expedited path to American citizenship. However, critics say the program’s screening process was riddled with loopholes, allowing individuals with unverified backgrounds to gain access to military training and potentially classified information.
“There were recruits coming from countries known for espionage activities against the United States,” said a former military intelligence officer who reviewed MAVNI applicants. “In some cases, their connections to foreign governments weren’t properly vetted, and now we have to question whether some of them were acting in bad faith.”
The investigation is expected to revisit past cases where MAVNI soldiers were flagged for suspicious activity and examine whether any systemic failures enabled foreign adversaries to embed themselves in the U.S. armed forces.
Exploiting Veteran Benefits: A Growing Problem
Beyond the security risks, the Pentagon and VA are also scrutinizing a troubling pattern of benefit exploitation by both MAVNI recruits and current regular-duty soldiers. According to sources within military medical facilities, some enlistees—especially those nearing the end of their contracts—have resorted to deliberately injuring themselves to claim disability benefits.
“We’ve seen cases where soldiers would slam their heads against walls or fake injuries in order to secure VA disability compensation,” said a senior military doctor who has reviewed multiple suspect claims. “They know the system well enough to manipulate it.”
Investigators are particularly focused on a subset of former MAVNI recruits from Nepal who allegedly exited the military under questionable circumstances but still managed to claim veteran benefits. Some reportedly used brief service stints to qualify for healthcare, education assistance, and other financial perks—despite not fulfilling their full military obligations.
“Some of these individuals barely served before bailing out, but they’re still receiving lifetime benefits as if they completed their enlistment honorably,” said a retired Army officer familiar with the MAVNI program. “That’s a slap in the face to real veterans.”
A Reckoning for Military Recruitment Policies
With MAVNI now defunct—the program was shut down under the Trump administration in 2017 due to security concerns—the Pentagon is facing tough questions about whether its current recruitment policies are also vulnerable to similar abuse. The alleged fraudulent disability claims among today’s active-duty troops suggest that the problem extends beyond just foreign-born enlistees.
The Department of Defense has signaled that the investigation could result in stricter benefit qualification standards and potentially even legal action against those found guilty of fraud. In the meantime, both military and intelligence officials are working to assess the full scale of potential foreign infiltration tied to MAVNI-era recruiting.
As the probe unfolds, policymakers will have to reckon with a difficult reality: while recruitment programs like MAVNI were designed to strengthen the U.S. military, they may have instead created vulnerabilities that are only now coming to light.
