The Department of Defense recently modified its ethics regulation to ensure that DoD personnel,
when leaving federal service, do not inadvertently violate federal revolving door statutes. The
modification made three changes to the departmental ethics regulation (DoD Directive 5500.7-R).
The first change requires senior personnel, including admirals, generals, and senior civilian
officials, to certify annually that they are aware of the requirements of three statutes, and
have not violated them. The three statutes bar conflicts of interests by procurement officials,
by all federal employees when negotiating for employment, and by all federal employees after they
leave the department. The second change mandates that information on these post-government
employment restrictions be included in the annual ethics training program for DoD personnel. The
third element requires that all department personnel who are leaving federal service receive
guidance on the restrictions that will affect them during and after their transition.
