For tech & engineering specifically, sometimes used to get above the govt salary caps. But standard industrial complex profit maker makes sense too lol
Having talked with a guy basically trying to recruit for it at the aerospace village at Defcon one year, I can say that working for the government without really working for them (e.g. not wearing suits) was a big part of how he sold it. That you're still a civilian and things like that, but get to work on cool stuff like hacking aircrafts
Cover story. As in the DDS is the cover story for how easy it is to do a money grab in the US gov.