DOD Revolving Door: Many Former Personnel Not Reporting Defense-Related Employment
NSIAD-86-71
Published: Mar 04, 1986. Publicly Released: Mar 06, 1986.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO evaluated the employment disclosure process for Department of Defense (DOD) and contractor employees, focusing on: (1) whether former DOD employees are reporting post-government employment as required; and (2) measures that could be taken to improve the process. Federal law requires former military officers, senior civilian employees, and contractor employees to report their post-government employment to ensure that: (1) DOD personnel who anticipate contractor employment do not use their positions to gain favor with contractors; and (2) former DOD personnel do not use their contacts with former colleagues to the detriment of the government.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the services to annually inform all covered former personnel of the requirement to report defense-related employment for 2 years after their separation. |
DOD issued 26,000 notification letters for the 1987 reporting period. DOD will be assessing the impact of the notifications as reports are submitted.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require that defense-related employment reports contain information on the type and extent of contact current defense contractor employees had with the contractors when they were with DOD, and vice versa. |
DOD Directive 5500.7 was issued on May 6, 1987. The directive incorporated the recommended actions.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require that the services establish a formal review process with written guidance for reviewers to use in detecting possible conflicts of interest. |
DOD Directive 5500.7 was issued on May 6, 1987, incorporating the recommended changes.
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Topics
Conflict of interestsDepartment of Defense contractorsFederal formsPostemployment restrictionReporting requirementsFederal employmentMilitary forcesFederal contractorsGovernment employeesPrivate sector