Gates orders review of military mentor program

[unhappycamper]

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a review of compensation paid to retired senior officers advising the military under senior mentor programs. Some retired officers earn hundreds of dollars an hour as mentors and even more from defense companies, while collecting pensions of as much as $200,000 a year.


Gates orders review of military mentor program
By Tom Vanden Brook and Ken Dilanian - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Dec 17, 2009 5:20:55 EST

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a review of what he considers “obscene” compensation paid to retired senior officers advising the military under senior mentor programs, and he also wants changes to guard against potential conflicts of interest, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Gates “has real concerns about the levels of compensation and the potential for conflict of interest” in military mentor programs, Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters at a briefing.

“He fundamentally believes that the money is obscene for government work, and that those participating in this valuable program should be motivated to do so out of a sense of patriotism and service rather than out of monetary gain.”

Also yesterday, the Senate took up a House-passed a defense spending bill including language expressing “deep concern” over the senior mentors program, and directing the Defense Department’s Inspector General to review it.

The developments come in response to a USA Today investigation into the military’s senior mentor programs. Senior mentors help run classified war games that examine future strategies and weapons systems, even as they consult for defense contactors with a keen interest in the military’s future needs.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/airforce_gates_mentors_121609w/