President-elect Donald Trump said that he may try to ban former Pentagon officials from working for defense contracting firms. “I think I’m going to impose a ban that anybody that gives out these massive military contracts should never ever, be allowed to work, ever — I don’t mean in five years, ten years — should never be allowed to work for those companies that make that equipment,” Trump said at a rally in Baton Rouge, La. Such a ban, if it is possible, would necessitate a dramatic departure from current practice, where retired military officers and civilian Pentagon officials often transition to careers with private military contractors after leaving the DOD. Trump said he was considering such a policy as a way of reforming military acquisitions. “I can see somebody approving a deal they shouldn’t approve,” he said, “and you get stuck with a horrible contract.” Such a ban, he said, would make “a big, big difference because the purchasing in this country is totally out of control.”
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…