Senators introduce bill restricting retired troops’ work for foreign governments

Two top senators introduced a bill Tuesday seeking to better bring to light the secretive process in which retired U.S. service members work as consultants and contractors for foreign governments.  

The bipartisan Retired Officers Conflict of Interest Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would rewrite some of the ethics and lobbying rules that affect former military officials, imposing new restrictions with an eye toward “closing the revolving door.” 

Among the added constraints would be a ban on service members negotiating a post-retirement job with a foreign government or a private contractor that works for one while still on active duty; a 30-month gap after retirement before military intelligence personnel can work for another country other than close allies; a requirement that the name, job duties and salary details of a person allowed a role with a foreign power be publicly reported; and higher financial penalties for those who don’t get approval or fail to report such employment to the Defense Department. 

With a companion bill introduced in the House by Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), the issue could end up becoming a major debate over the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bills.  

“The Department of Defense is letting too many retired military officers trade their military service and experience to foreign governments for cash – creating serious risks to our national security,” Warren, who chairs the Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee, said in a statement announcing the new bill. “This system needs serious transparency and accountability.” 

Grassley, meanwhile, said it’s “no surprise that foreign governments would wish to capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of retired U.S. military members,” but that the current safeguards in the process aren’t sufficient for national security. 

The lawmakers are tackling the matter after a Washington Post report last year detailed scores of retired military officers — more than 500 including generals and admirals — who took lucrative jobs with foreign governments since 2015. 

Under current federal law, retired troops are allowed to work for foreign powers if they first receive approval from their military branch and the State Department.  

But the Post found that the approvals process receives little scrutiny, with the State and Defense departments granting authorization about 95 percent of the time. 

What’s more, though anyone who works for a foreign government without first seeking permission risks losing retirement pay, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service has only punished fewer than five people for this, the Post reported.  

Pentagon and State Department officials insist the agencies jointly and thoroughly review all foreign employment requests, though at an April Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing Pentagon lawyers allowed that they were revisiting their policies.