After his retirement, he has served as an informal advisor to presidents and other senior officials. He served an advisory role in the management of the
US occupation of Iraq, as a member of the
Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee. In January 2007, Keane and the scholar
Frederick W. Kagan released a policy paper, "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq," through the
American Enterprise Institute that called for bringing security by putting 30,000 additional American troops there for at least 18 months. In part convinced by this paper, President
George W. Bush ordered on 10 January 2007, the deployment of 21,500 additional troops to Iraq, most of whom would be deployed to Baghdad. The deployment has been nicknamed the 2007 "
surge". Debate was intense over how long the surge should last. Keane supported a longer buildup of at least one year. The surge was supposed to support the Iraqi Security Forces until they could assume responsibility for country security. The
National Intelligence Estimate supported the longer timeframe, noting that there were problems with the independence of the Iraqi police from sectarian militias and death squads. Keane supported the view that distribution of economic assistance would have a more significant impact over a longer deployment because "with the short term surge...the enemy can wait you out." Of his initial meeting with President Bush regarding the surge, Keane said that he made a phone call to
Newt Gingrich to ask his advice prior to the meeting. As Keane said in 2014, Keane advised Bush, Vice President
Dick Cheney, and General
David Petreaus on the surge.
Current activities from
US President Donald Trump on 10 March 2020 Keane is a regular contributor to
Fox News and is involved in a variety of business, think tank and charitable activities. He is chairman of
AM General, the firm that produces the
Humvee. In June 2016, Keane co-founded
IP3 International (IP3), a nuclear energy consulting firm. Keane is an advisor to the
Spirit of America, a
501(c)(3) organization. He was a strategic advisor for
Academi and was a director of defense giant
General Dynamics. Keane is considered an influential voice to leaders from both major political parties, including
Hillary Clinton and
Donald Trump, particularly on foreign policy issues related to the Middle East. Trump watched Keane on Fox News for years, and referred to him as "my No. 1 guy." In November 2016, shortly after
Stanley McChrystal declined the post of
United States secretary of defense, Keane was offered it, but also declined, citing the death of his wife several months earlier. After Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis resigned in December 2018, Trump again offered the job to Keane, who again declined. He is a member of the
Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee.
IP3 Keane is a cofounder and director of
IP3 International. In July 2019, the committee chairman released a second staff report that detailed various activities and contacts between IP3 and the
Trump administration. A letter to Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) that was signed by General Keane and executives of IP3, boasted, “The agreements by President Trump and Mohammed bin Salman have established the framework for our unique opportunity to take the next steps with IP3 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." ==Awards and decorations==