Obama's Pick To Lead Air Force a Former Exec for Major Defense Contractor

[unhappycamper]

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/12/air-force-secretary-nominee.html



Obama's Pick To Lead Air Force a Former Exec for Major Defense Contractor
by Brandon Conradis
on December 2, 2013 1:39 PM

If President Obama's nominee to head the Air Force is confirmed, she'll be at the helm at a time when a new round of major military cutbacks is expected to hit -- potentially hurting the bottom line of the mammoth defense contractor where she was a top executive.

Deborah Lee James, whose nomination was announced in August, headed the technology and engineering sector at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a defense company that recently changed its name to Leidos. The company is consistently among the top 20 defense contractors by revenue.

SAIC lobbies extensively on Capitol Hill, spending more than $2 million in 2012 and just under $1.5 million so far in 2013. Among the issues it has weighed in on over the past two years are the Defense Authorization Act, cybersecurity and acquisitions.

SAIC's PAC has been especially generous to pro-military lawmakers in Virginia, where the company is based. In both the 2012 and 2014 election cycles, the PAC donated $10,000 each to Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.), all of whom have strong ties to the defense industry. Overall the PAC has donated just under $200,000 to candidates in the 2014 election cycle so far.

[Scuba]

1. It's OK. We can protect the defense contractors by cutting benefits for GI's and their families.

They're just moochers anyway, at least according to Limbaugh.