Hold that Revolving Door! Four-Star General Coming Through

Photo of Gen. James Cartwright from USA.gov

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By DANA LIEBELSON

The revolving door that carried former Department of Defense honcho William Lynn III to a well-paying job with an Italian defense contractor keeps on spinning – now Gen. James Cartwright, who retired as the nation’s second-highest ranking military officer in August, is following Lynn into the private sector.

Cartwright is joining the Board of Directors at Raytheon, a major U.S. defense contractor. Earlier in the week, DRS Technologies named Lynn as its chief executive officer. (Coincidently, before Lynn was tapped as deputy defense secretary, he was a top lobbyist for Raytheon.)

“General Cartwright's deep understanding of defense and broad experience in military operations and matters of national security will be of great value to our Board," Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson said in a press release.

Well, Cartwright certainly has a deep understanding of defense: He’s a four-star general with 40 years of service in the Marine Corps, including four years as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But then there’s that sticky “great value to the Board” comment.  And that’s where the problem with the well-oiled revolving door that leads from the Pentagon to the defense industry rears its ugly head.

It’s absolutely reasonable to wonder if Cartwright was eyeing a cushy job with Raytheon during his last years of service. Did that influence any decisions he may have made in regards to Raytheon, which receives billions in taxpayer dollars through federal contracts? Even if it didn’t create any conflicts of interest, the appearance that it could have is why the revolving door chips away at the public’s confidence in government.

As POGO pointed out in its 2004 “Politics of Contracting” report, “a contracting system where current and former public servants use their positions for private gain means powerful private corporations can rig the system in their favor.”

Raytheon, like many of the largest federal contractors, has plenty of instances of misconduct on its record – everything from False Claims Act violations to kickbacks and overcharges. It also has a history of hiring Department of Defense insiders such as Cartwright and Lynn, who often go to bat for the company on Capitol Hill, at the White House and in the Pentagon. It’s no coincidence that the biggest contractors, such as Raytheon, rarely suffer lasting consequences for misconduct.

Cartwright is valued by Raytheon because of his knowledge of defense programs and his connections inside the Pentagon and Obama administration. With Raytheon having a stake in more than 4,000 weapons programs, it's certainly paying close attention to looming defense cuts. For Raytheon, Cartwright is joining the board at a very opportune time.

In a Washington Post profile on the general, those close to Cartwright called him a “maverick” who, throughout his career, has been “widely respected for pushing what he thought was right.” As he swings through the revolving door, we can only hope that these good instincts don’t get stuck.

Dana Liebelson is POGO's Beth Daley Impact Fellow

Follow @dliebelson

Comments

[Bryan Rahija]

Appreciate your feedback Dan, but evidence that there is a significant problem with the revolving door is piling up. One recent study found that at the SEC, the prospect of employment in the private sector "may operate as a quid pro quo in return for favorable regulatory treatment." That's not the kind of system that works in the public interest. Check out our Revolving Regulators report for more: http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/reports/financial-oversight/revolving-regulators/fo-fra-20110513.html

[Dan in Virginia]

It's okay to raise the questions as POGO does, but if there is an assumption of guilt for every general officer (G.O.) who leaves military service and takes a job in industry, then POGO's fears are more like paranoia. Which may be worse in a federated republic than the run-of-the mill graft POGO truly fears.
I agree with Gaston; would you want Raytheon hiring someone who was clueless on military affairs? I hardly think so. Would you want to restrict the freedom of a retiree who has served honorably? Only to the extent that reasonable rules that mitigate conflicts of interest are adhered to. This is, in fact, what’s in place. So, let’s use them. (Revolving door also suggests back and forth, not simply retiring after forty years. If Cartwright were going back and forth between civil service and military service, wouldn’t *that* be revolving?).
It borders on conspiracy theory for Dana Liebelson to report that there may be a problem when there is not. If Dana has evidence, please produce it. If not, stop fomenting conspiracy theories. This is unethical and does the profession of journalism a disservice. I recall one G.O. who was smeared by the press for no good reason. It hurt America. His name is LTG (ret.) William G. Boykin. Crimes can be committed in the name of false accusations as quickly as graft and corruption.

[Gaston]

I don't get it. You didn't answer any of those "absolutely reasonable" questions in the fifth to last graf. Is that how it's done? Raise a few doubts/fling a little slime? Your doubt is not
crazy, though, but think a minute. We do want people in government who understand industry, and vice versa. If we place an impermeable barrier between them, we will certainly have a worse system than we do today, in the regulatory sphere and in acquisition. The problems include: more FUBARd requirements than today, longer lead times, less competition, and even higher costs. We do need a bang for the buck. If you keep the military out of industry, you may get a bill or a book, but not a sufficient bang any time soon.
All we gotta do is enforce the rules already on the books, rather than dither and bungle using the statute and regs. We need to stop allowing government folks to avert their eyes and not work for compliance.