WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has added Joe Dunford, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to its board of directors, the company announced Friday.

Dunford, the Marine general who retired from service at the end of September 2019, will become the 12th member of Lockheed’s board on Feb. 10. He will serve on the board’s Classified Business and Security Committee as well as its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

“General Dunford’s service to the nation at the highest levels of military leadership will bring valuable insight to our board,” Marillyn Hewson, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “His experience in complex, global operations and risk management, including cybersecurity threats, is a tremendous asset and will enhance board oversight in key business areas.”

Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest defense contractor, with $50.5 billion in defense revenue in fiscal 2018.

The announcement may spur renewed calls by good government groups to close the so-called revolving door between the Pentagon and the defense industry, an issue that has taken on new life given the number of industry executives who have joined the Defense Department under President Donald Trump.

That list is most prominently headlined by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a former Raytheon executive, and Pat Shanahan, a Boeing executive who was confirmed as deputy secretary of defense and then served six months as the acting defense secretary before departing the building. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a top nominee for the Democratic nomination for president, has called for a ban on defense primes hiring senior Pentagon officials and officers for four years after they leave the government.

About Aaron Mehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

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