Recent backlash about the military senior mentor program has raised some important questions. The legality of employing retired flag and general officers as mentors, while most are also senior
employees of major defense contractors, is the most common question. We're told the programs are legal, but we would do well to remember the ethics training all government employees receive.
Standards of conduct and ethics are similar to the fraternization policy. Although a particular behavior may be legal, the appearance of impropriety alone makes it inappropriate. Failing this test, it is contrary to good order and discipline and therefore unacceptable. Considering the dual employment of most of the mentors, there is a reasonable assumption that they can influence military decisions that favor their company and disfavor their competitors, while gaining insights that provide an unfair competitive advantage. That is a textbook example of an appearance of impropriety.
Another question has not been addressed, and it's one of commitment. Leaders are responsible for training their relief, and flag officers are no exception. Mentoring is part of that task, so it begs the question, if senior officers effectively mentored subordinates in uniform, why are they needed to perform that same task in retirement? Those being mentored should have received their leadership while the mentors were in uniform, and should now be doing the same for their prospective reliefs. That is not to say that mentoring stops when one retires, but it should take a different form, and not include pay.
Many informal mentor-protégé relationships continue, and retirees often provide valuable guidance to their former comrades, but they do so without compensation. For instance, retired chief petty officers regularly come together with their active duty shipmates, especially during Chief Petty Officer Initiation each year. They do this because they love the process and care about properly training their relief, no matter how many years later. They are allowed to do so because their experience is invaluable. Nobody involved expects or considers payment. It is done out of love of service and shipmate.
If the officer community does not have a similar standard, one that includes the following sentence from the Chief Petty Officer Retirement Creed is needed: "By law and tradition, U.S. Navy Retirees are always on the rolls, ever ready to lend their service when the need arises." These words are instructive and speak to the enduring connection between retirees and their service. Our retired senior leaders should follow this example.
Those same laws and traditions allow retirees to retain their rank for life. There is an inherent responsibility in the CPO Retirement Creed and in one's status as a retired military professional. These words do not restrict retirees from employment in the defense sector—as a contractor or federal government civilian—but they certainly should prevent retirees from earning salaries (large or small) for doing in retirement what they should have done on active duty.
Service leaders should seek out retired officers and enlisted—without contractor connections—to donate their experience and service. Those who accept can be considered honestly committed to the military. Conversely, those who decline should be shown the door. Simply put, if you are not willing to do it for free, you are not qualified to do it for pay. Mentoring is a dedication to subordinate development that, when done correctly, ensures no one is missed after retirement because those who came after are fully qualified. One's relief takes on the role of senior mentor while staying connected with trusted advisers to continue one's own development. If retired officers are honestly needed for paid mentoring, one can assume they failed at being mentors while on active duty. Otherwise, their very expensive services would not be needed.
It used to be said that nobody joins the military to get rich, but it seems many retire for that reason. Mentoring should be a call to service, not to riches. The military needs to end the senior mentor program that clearly has the appearance of impropriety. Let retirees mentor unofficially, but stop paying those with deep contractor connections for doing what they should have done on active duty.