The role of generals and admirals in the arms industry is part of the larger problem of the revolving door, in which hundreds of senior Pentagon and military officials go to work for major Pentagon contractors every year, using their contacts to wield influence on behalf of their corporate employers.
A 2021 report by the Government Accountability Office found that over 1,700 senior government and military officials, including generals, admirals, and top acquisition officers, went to work for one or more of the top 14 weapons contractors between 2014–19.
The revolving door is a problem because it creates the appearance — and in some cases the reality — of conflicts of interest in the making of defense policy and in the shaping of the size and composition of the Pentagon budget. The role of top military officials is particularly troubling, given their greater clout in the military and the government more broadly than most other revolving door hires. Their influence over policy and budget issues can tilt the scales towards a more militarized foreign policy.
Sending the young to unnecessary war, to kill and be killed.
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