André Verlöy and Daniel Politi, Data by Aron Pilhofer, The Center For Public Integrity
"Of the thirty members of the Defense Policy Board, the government-appointed group that advises the Pentagon, at least nine have ties to companies that have won more than $76 billion in defense contracts in 2001 and 2002. Four members are registered lobbyists, one of whom represents two of the three largest defense contractors.
The companies with ties to Defense Policy Board members include prominent firms like Boeing, TRW, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton and smaller players like Symantec Corp., Technology Strategies and Alliance Corp., and Polycom Inc.
According to its charter, the board was set up in 1985 to provide the Secretary of Defense "with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning major matters of defense policy." The members are selected by and report to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy - currently Douglas Feith, a former Reagan administration official. All members are approved by the Secretary of Defense. The board's quarterly meetings - normally held over a two-day period - are classified, and each session's proceedings are summarized for the Defense Secretary. The board does not write reports or vote on issues.
The board, whose list of members reads like a who's who of former high-level government and military officials, focuses on long-term policy issues such as the strategic implications of defense policies and tactical considerations, including what types of weapons the military should develop."
"Advisors of Influence: Nine members of the Defense Policy Board have ties to Defense Contractors"
