WASHINGTON  While waiting to be confirmed by the White House for a top civilian post at the Air Force last year, Charles Riechers was out of work and wanted a paycheck. So the Air Force helped arrange a job through an intelligence contractor that required him to do no work for the company, according to documents and interviews. For two months, Mr. Riechers held the title of senior technical adviser and received about $13,400 a month at Commonwealth Research Institute, or CRI, a nonprofit firm in Johnstown, Pa., according to his résumé. But during that time he actually worked for Sue Payton, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, on projects that had nothing to do with CRI, he said.

Mr. Riechers said in an interview that his interactions with Commonwealth Research were limited largely to a Christmas party, where he said he met company officials for the first time.

"I really didn't do anything for CRI," said Mr. Riechers, now principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition. "I got a paycheck from them."

Mr. Riechers's job highlights the Pentagon's ties with CRI and its corporate parent, which has in recent years received hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and contracts from the military, and more than $100 million in earmarks from lawmakers.