Lieberman to set up defense procurement committee
The committee will be set up in order to examine and determine the rules for officers' involvement in defense procurement in order to avoid conflict of interest scandals.
The committee will begin functioning following the current police investigation and will be made up of former senior defense officials and legal experts.
Defense industry employees are appointed to their positions after serving as senior commanders. However, on more than one occasion, instead of managing procurement programs and their efficiency in the IDF, many choose to lend their services to private companies in exchange for higher salaries.
Security companies employing former IDF officers rely on their connections to the officer corps in order to facilitate procurement efforts. In the past, IDF officers would only describe their operational needs to the Ministry of Defense, who would in turn, relay those demands to the purchasing department.
In recent years, the influence of IDF officers has grown, especially through personal connections to former officers who are now employed in the private sector. This arrangement however, has led to the problem of conflict of interest.
This problem of conflict of interest is exemplified by commanders having to decide whether or not to request procurements from the IDF directly or by outsourcing to contractors. The problem is especially relevant for the navy, air force, IT Corps and Logistics Division.
Another problem that arose was the presence of former senior officers who still serve in the reserves and take part in internal discussions and influence the decisions of the units in which they serve.
This represents a situation in which a uniformed, senior reservist officer is in discussions, while at the same time representing a private company involved in a transaction with the IDF. This creates a situation in which economic and public interests are compromised.
On the other hand, defense companies claim that professionals are needed and it is only natural that senior officers with the necessary experience be recruited.
Therefore, the first necessary solution is a cooling-off period before deals are inked, in addition to the imposition of new restrictions on consultants that will prevent direct contact with uniformed officials.
