Department of Defense Standards of Conduct Office

SOCO News and Information

(New) Ethics Guidance for DoD Employees Participating in the OPM Deferred Resignation Program: OPM has indicated that federal personnel who accept the OPM Deferred Resignation Program will be placed in an administrative leave status. During this time, just as with any other leave status, DoD personnel remain subject to the Federal ethics rules, criminal conflict of interest statutes, the Hatch Act, and DoD supplemental ethics rules and policies regarding engaging in outside employment and outside activities. Further guidance is available here.

(New) FAQ's Application of the Ethics Laws to Employees who Participate in the Deferred Resignation Program: The U.S. Office of Government Ethics has received several questions from ethics officials concerning the application of the ethics laws to employees who participate in the Office of Personnel Management’s Deferred Resignation Program. The ethics rules and regulations apply to any person who is in a leave status, including employees who have elected to participate in the Deferred Resignation Program. The email sent by OGE on, February 6, 2025, which includes additional responses to some of the questions OGE has received, can be found here. OGE is aware that there are ongoing developments with regard to the implementation of the Deferred Resignation Program. OGE will update these FAQs as necessary.

(New) Effect of Revocation of Executive Order 13989 (Biden Ethics Pledge). OGE, in consultation with the White House Counsel’s Office, confirmed that the post-government ethics commitments articulated in the Biden Administration’s Ethics Pledge have been revoked by President Trump’s recission of Executive Order13989. OGE has opined that political appointees who signed President Biden’s Ethics Pledge, as required by Executive Order 13989, are therefore no longer bound by those restrictions effective January 20, 2025.

Lapse in Appropriations/Furlough Guidance: DoD personnel remain Federal employees during a government shutdown, even if they are furloughed. While individuals may be permitted to engage in outside employment activities during this time, they must still ensure that such activities comply with Federal ethics laws and regulations. Further guidance is available here.

SOCO Advisories - CY 2024 SOCO Advisories are available here.

About SOCO

The Department of Defense Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO) is an element of the Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA) under the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel. Pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 2638.104(a), each agency head must appoint a Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO), who is responsible for the agency's ethics program. The DoD General Counsel is the primary DAEO within DoD and the DAEO for the DoD DAEO Agency (sometimes referred to as the “DoD Remainder Agency”), which is comprised of OSD and all DoD Components and organizations that are not designated as separate DAEO agencies. SOCO administers the responsibilities of the DAEO, which are aligned along three main lines of effort: establishing DoD-wide ethics policies and regulations, managing the DoD Remainder Agency ethics program, and providing ethics advice and counsel to OSD personnel. This includes working with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to conduct ethics vetting of all incoming DoD Presidentially Appointed Senate confirmed (PAS) officials.

SOCO prepares policy guidance for Department-wide application through the DoD supplemental regulations at 5 C.F.R. Part 3601, the "Standards of Conduct" Directive (DoDD 5500.07), the "Joint Ethics Regulation" (JER), SOCO Advisories, and written opinions. Through the Committee on Standards of Conduct and a monthly “Coordinating Group,” SOCO facilitates the consistent application of ethics policy by over 3,000 ethics officials throughout the Department of Defense. SOCO also provides guidance and assistance to other DoD DAEO organizations, and SOCO attorneys routinely interact with OGE, Congressional staff, the public, and industry to address a wide array of ethics matters. While SOCO does not investigate complaints regarding violations of ethics or other laws, the office provides data and interpretive guidance in support of the DoD Inspector General and other investigative services.

SOCO maintains oversight of post-Government employment and confidential financial disclosure reporting systems used by over 200,000 personnel throughout DoD and Federal Civilian agencies. SOCO also maintains representation on OGE’s Integrity Advisory Council, providing recommendations to improve accountability and efficiency for OGE’s public financial disclosure reporting system used by over 25,000 ethics officials and filers across the Executive Branch.

SOCO attorneys provide ethics advice to personnel assigned to OSD and affiliated organizations. SOCO directly manages financial disclosure reporting, ethics training, post-Government employment advice, and other ethics compliance matters within OSD. SOCO manages the DoD Remainder Agency ethics program, with the assistance of organizational Deputy DAEOs (DDAEOs) at Defense Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Combatant Command levels. SOCO conducts periodic Program Assist Visits at DDAEO organizations to evaluate and identify best practices and areas where SOCO can provide assistance.