An Army general told an audience that extraterrestrials are among the many complex threats that new cadets will face.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley delivered the keynote address at a special symposium celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont on Thursday, April 21. During Gen. Milley’s presentation, titled “Leading Through Complexity,” he commented, “If the world of 1916 was complex, or the world of 1945 was complex, the world of 2016 is intensely complex, and I can tell you that from personal experience.”

Then he commented,

You’ll be dealing with terrorists, you’ll be dealing with hybrid armies, you’ll be dealing with little green men, you’re going to be dealing with tribes, you’ll be dealing with national leaders and local leaders, you’ll be dealing with politics and economics, and you’ll be dealing with direct fire and indirect fire, and you’re going to be dealing with it all, and it’s all going to be dealt with simultaneously. And for that, you’re going to have to be ready. And that’s why readiness, in my mind, is number one.

Gen. Milley seems to have a sense of humor, as demonstrated by the lighthearted jabs he took at the Air Force and Navy at the beginning of his presentation. But his comment about “little green men” came during a very serious moment in which he emphasized the many complex and very real issues in today’s world.

This matter-of-fact statement about extraterrestrials by a prominent Army general is extremely interesting. Conspiracy theorists, of course, will enjoy this comment about aliens from a high-ranking military officer. But I suspect they’ll have more fun with Gen. Milley’s “hybrid armies” comment.

As Army Times points out, Gen. Milley took questions from the audience following his presentation. Surprisingly, no one bothered to probe the “little green men” comment.