Pre-Analysis: DoD Revolving Door
Lucy Hong
2025-12-03
1. Descriptive Facts
Total Sample (revolving-door individuals)
- Individuals: 139,891
DoD Sample
- Sample: 4672 DoD alumni
(1) Distribution of Career Length in data
- Most individuals have 20-40 year careers
(2) Distribution of total government/military service duration among DoD alumni
- Most board members from DoD have relatively short government service
periods, with concentration in the 0-10 year range.
- Distribution of the 0-10 year range where most transitions occur.
2. Transition Patterns
(1) Overall Patterns
| Pattern | # of Individuals | % | Mean Transitions | Median Transitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Both directions (G2P & P2G) | 1762 | 49.5 | 3.1 | 3 |
| Soft G2P only | 802 | 22.5 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Complete G2P only | 789 | 22.2 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Soft P2G only | 121 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Complete P2G only | 63 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Mixed G2P (Complete & Soft) | 23 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2 |
| Mixed P2G (Complete & Soft) | 1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2 |
- G2P/P2G: Government ↔︎ Private sector transitions,
- Both directions: Individuals who moved both G→P and P→G,
- Soft: Overlapping positions across sectors,
- Complete: Clear transition with no position overlap,
- Mixed: Combination of complete and soft transitions
(2) Transition Types: Both Direction Cases
- Soft transitions (overlapping positions) are more common than complete
transitions among individuals who moved in both directions.
3. Cooling-off Period
The cooling-off period measures the time elapsed between an individual’s last government/military position and their first private sector position.
- Zero cooling-off: Over 400 individuals (>40%)
transition immediately with no gap
- Periodic spikes: Notable increases at 1, 2, 3, and
4-year intervals
- Short-tenure pattern: Those with zero cooling-off
tend to have shorter government service (0-10 years), indicating
early-career transitions without waiting periods
4. Top Destinations
Top 15 Companies Hiring DoD Alumni as Firm Leadership| Rank | Company | Sector | # of Individuals | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc | Business Services | 35 | 10.6 |
| 2 | BOEING CO | Aerospace & Defence | 28 | 8.5 |
| 3 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | Aerospace & Defence | 28 | 8.5 |
| 4 | McKinsey & Co Inc | Business Services | 26 | 7.9 |
| 5 | NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP | Aerospace & Defence | 25 | 7.6 |
| 6 | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) CORP | Software & Computer Services | 22 | 6.7 |
| 7 | Holland & Knight LLP | Legal | 20 | 6.1 |
| 8 | BAE Systems Inc (Formerly known as BAE Systems North America Inc) | Aerospace & Defence | 19 | 5.8 |
| 9 | CACI INTERNATIONAL INC | Aerospace & Defence | 19 | 5.8 |
| 10 | Kirkland & Ellis LLP (KE) | Legal | 19 | 5.8 |
| 11 | LEIDOS HOLDINGS INC (SAIC Inc prior to 09/2013) | Engineering & Machinery | 19 | 5.8 |
| 12 | DXC TECHNOLOGY CO (Computer Sciences Corp prior to 04/2017) | Software & Computer Services | 18 | 5.5 |
| 13 | RAYTHEON CO (De-listed 04/2020) | Aerospace & Defence | 18 | 5.5 |
| 14 | Greenberg Traurig LLP | Legal | 17 | 5.2 |
| 15 | MITRE Corp (The) | Information Technology Hardware | 17 | 5.2 |