Category: Private Citizen — Corporate Director Role: Independent Director, Lockheed Martin Corporation Board Tenure: 2019 – present Committee Memberships: Classified Programs Oversight Committee; Management Development and Compensation Committee Profile Type: Board Member Accountability — Anchor B (Documented Organizational Leadership)

Biographical Overview

General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. (USMC, retired) served as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2015 to September 2019, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council. In that role, Dunford was the senior U.S. military official overseeing all force structure, readiness, and acquisition programs — including the F-35 program, Lockheed Martin’s flagship product. He previously served as Commandant of the Marine Corps (2014–2015) and Commander of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (2013–2014). Dunford joined Lockheed Martin’s board in 2019, the same year he retired from the military. His transition directly from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to a major defense contractor board is among the most prominent documented examples of the revolving door in modern U.S. defense history.

Board Role and Governance Authority

• Company: Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
• Board tenure: 2019 – present
• Committee assignments: Classified Programs Oversight Committee; Management Development and Compensation Committee
• Governance note: As the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — the officer who signed off on DoD budget requests and program priorities that directly benefit Lockheed Martin — Dunford’s board membership represents a significant revolving door appointment that critics argue blurs the line between government oversight and contractor governance.

Revolving Door Notation

Dunford’s career trajectory — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2015–2019) → Lockheed Martin board (2019) — is among the clearest examples of the military-industrial revolving door at the highest level of U.S. military command. As CJCS, Dunford had final advisory authority over the defense budget that allocates tens of billions annually to Lockheed Martin programs.

Parent Corporate Donor Profile

This profile is a governance-accountability companion to the Lockheed Martin corporate donor profile.

Sources

• Lockheed Martin Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement, 2025; SEC EDGAR
• Joint Chiefs of Staff official biography, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr.
• U.S. Department of Defense records