Colin has an excellent piece up on DoD Buzz that’s generated a ton of conversation over there so I thought I might share it over here…
The Obama transition team has issued ethics guidelines that are likely to make it extremely difficult to attract qualified defense industry appointees.
No political appointees would be able to work regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration, the new guidelines say.
You can understand the motivation behind it, but its not clear that you will get the best and brightest people who understand what needs to be done to serve in the government. As you know previous administrations have had great difficulty attracting people under the existing guidelines, a procurement expert with experience in and out of government told me this morning.
The Aerospace Industries Association recently published a report, Overcoming Barriers to Public Service, on the difficulties of finding good people.
Three of the candidates for senior Pentagon positions Paul Kaminski and Jacques Gansler for deputy secretary of Defense, and John Douglass for undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics might well benefit from the Obama strictures. All three men are eminent in their field, none of them have worked for a defense company recently and all are old enough that they probably would not have to scramble for a high paying job in industry after they leave government.
– Colin
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Not an Obama fan here, but this would seem to be a step in the right direction. It is reprehensible to allow people with vested interest in the administration. While it will be hard to find qualified people, something has to be done.
Good Morning Folks,
Is this post for real?
I can’t remember hearing a more stupid argument. What this story is saying is that if you want the best and the most capable people you have to accept a certain amount of unethical behavior . That’s just pure bull sh**.
Perhaps these less then ethical players have driven off those who have a sense of ethical behavior into other less corrupt areas of employment/enterprise the National Defense.
Lets give ethics a chance, the performance of the existing actors in the Defense Industry over the last sixty years as not been all that great. In fact most of post war (WW II) weapons systems that were fielded never saw combat and many that did failed speculatively.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
The report by the Aerospace Industries Association titled
I don’t have a problem with anyone coming from private to public service. It’s just going from government to a payoff job in the private sector that needs to stop.
Yeah,but at least Obama will take care of paying for our gas & mortgage.
Look,I said it before & I’ll say it again,there is not a dime’s worth of difference between Democrats or Republicans. All of this “ethics” B.S. is just show for the press. Liberal Democrats are going to find the same heartache with Obama that Conservative Republicans found with George W. Bush. Neither represent their constituents. Obama will follow the plan given to Bush,Jr. that was passed down from Clinton & Bush,Sr. before him. It’s the same old B.S.,it’s just a new face put on the package. Remember,a box of Wheaties is still a box of Wheaties,no matter whose face is on the box.
Obama & ethnic I wonder an oxymoron?
IE his past & present associates,
the way he treated Joe the Plumber etc.
I wonder about “ethics”, even with Pelosi.
Some more DC BS.
I dont buy it.