The Department of Defense on Monday announced appointees to the Defense Policy Board. Among the new members to the advisory group are two board members of the American Ideas Institute, which publishes The American Conservative, Rachel Bovard and Daniel McCarthy.

The former U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer will chair the board, while former Senator and current chair of the Republican Jewish Coalition Norm Coleman will serve as its vice chair. The venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Blake Masters will also serve on the board, as will the conservative intellectual and government official Michael Anton.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft reported that “at least eight of the 15 members of the committee have close ties to the defense industry and foreign governments,” highlighting Coleman’s role as a lobbyist for the government of Saudi Arabia. Responsible Statecraft noted that “the board is not entirely dominated by defense contractor-linked executives and lobbyists,” pointing to the selection of both McCarthy and Bovard.