CREW and Brave New Foundation Release New Report and Film on Pentagon Revolving Door

pan>)--Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and
Brave New Foundation released Strategic Maneuvers, a new report
and short film revealing the extent of the Pentagons revolving door
phenomenon, in which retired high-ranking generals and admirals cash in
on their years of military experience by taking lucrative jobs with the
defense industry. CREW found 70 percent of the 108 three-and-four star
generals and admirals who retired between 2009 and 2011 took jobs with
defense contractors or consultants. In at least a few cases, these
retirees have continued to advise the Department of Defense all while
on the payroll of the defense industry.
“Hiring a retired general can be a financial boon for a defense
contractor, but it remains a mystery to Americans exactly what these
former military officials do to earn their paychecks”
Click
here to watch Brave New Foundations short film
High-ranking generals and admirals certainly earn their stars and
stripes for their years of service in the U.S. military, but then some
walk through the revolving door and cash in on their experience and
connections, stated CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. Some
high-ranking officers go on to wear two hats: They serve as highly paid
board members and consultants to defense contractors and, at the same
time, serve as advisors to the Pentagon. Given their dual roles, how can
either the public or the Defense Department be confident in receiving
unbiased counsel from those whose paychecks now depend on maximizing
profits for their new employers?
Its a staggering conflict of interest, said Brave New Foundations
Executive Director, Jim Miller. The public has a right to know if those
responsible for spending our tax dollars are going to work for the very
same contractors profiting from defense spending. We applaud CREW for
shining a light on this issue with this report and we plan to share our
video far and wide to help inform the public about this abuse of power,
and build momentum for stopping it.
In 2011 alone, the Department of Defense committed to spending nearly
$100 billion with the five largest defense contractors Lockheed
Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman. CREWs
research found at least nine of the top-level generals and admirals who
retired between 2009 and 2011 took positions with those five companies.
Sitting on the board of just one of these companies and attending a few
meetings a year can allow a retired general or admiral to earn more than
his yearly government salary.
Hiring a retired general can be a financial boon for a defense
contractor, but it remains a mystery to Americans exactly what these
former military officials do to earn their paychecks, continued Ms.
Sloan. With the possibility of massive cuts to the defense budget,
contractors are scrambling to position themselves on the winning side,
making retired generals and admirals a valuable commodity. Since the
revolving door is unlikely to stop spinning anytime soon, clearly we
need some new laws to manage retirees potential conflicts of interest.
Click
here to read the new report, Strategic Maneuvers
Click
here to read this release on CREWs website
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a
non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials
accountable for their actions. For more information on the report,
please visit www.citizensforethics.org
or contact David Merchant at 202.408.5565 or dmerchant@citizensforethics.org.
For more information on the video, please visit www.bravenewfoundation.org
or contact Josh Busch at 310.991.2503 or josh@bravenewfoundation.org.

Information Source: Business Wire