Of the 39 Coast Guard officials at the admiral or senior executive level that separated from 2006 – 2011, 22 of them were compensated by Coast Guard contractors at some point during that period, GAO has said after looking into the revolving door between the Coast Guard and industry.
Former government officials employed by contractors are subject to laws restricting their post-government employment activities, but under the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 GAO must report annually on the extent to which former high-ranking Coast Guard officials have been compensated by Coast Guard contractors.
According to GAO-13-153R, 12 of those former officials received compensation in 2011 from contractors that took in over $10 million each in 2011 on Coast Guard contracts – and nine of those officials were hired to help acquire new business.
Last year GAO reported that about half of the high-ranking officials that separated from the Coast Guard from 2005 – 2009 received compensation from a Coast Guard contractor at some point from the time they left through calendar year 2010.
