You don't get to redefine the word "civilian" to suit your politics. Merely working for a defense ministry doesn't make someone a member of the armed forces.

The fact he previously worked on a project for the military is mentioned in the article.

This is the same argument used by some to claim that Huawei is the extended arm of Chinese surveillance agencies (e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20366883 ) and I don't think it's very convincing. Work for the government once, lose civilian status forever?

The revolving door between the two, at the very least, warrant closer scrutiny, even if they don't imply breathless accusation of corruption.