From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Military Ethics and Professionalism

Description: Audio Interview by GAO staff with Brenda Farrell, Director,
Defense Capabilities and Management

Related GAO Work: GAO-15-711: Military Personnel: Additional Steps Are
Needed to Strengthen DOD's Oversight of Ethics and Professionalism
Issues

Released: September 2015
		

[ Background Music ]

[ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and
information from U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's September
2015. In the high-stakes realm of national defense, professionalism and
sound ethical judgement are essential, but recent investigations have
revealed misconduct among DOD and military officials related to sexual
behavior, bribery, cheating, and more. A team led by Brenda Farrell, a
director in GAO's Defense Capabilities and Management team, recently
reviewed DOD's ethics and professionalism programs for military service
members. GAO's, Jacques Arsenault, sat down with Brenda to talk about
what they found.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] Can you talk about some of the recent concerns
about ethics in the Department of Defense and the military?

[ Brenda Farrell: ] Yes. Military personnel are required to adhere to a
set of ethical principles and standards of conduct that are outlined in
federal law, as well as Department of Defense guidance, pertaining to
such matters as financial disclosures, conflict of interest, travel, and
other things. Recently, along about 2012, there were a number of
high-profile investigations involving service members and misconduct
that brought DOD's ethics programs under increased scrutiny by
President, members of Congress, as well as DOD itself. These
investigations focused on, mostly, active-duty service members, but also
included the most senior leaders in the department, those at the general
and flag officer ranks. These, this conduct involved matters such as
bribery, cheating, misuse of government funds, and sexual behavior.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then what kinds of ethics and professional
programs does the Department of Defense have in place now?

[ Brenda Farrell: ] There's two efforts that I'd like to bring to the
listeners' attention. The first is a position that the Secretary of
Defense created to report to him on matters of ethics throughout the
department. This is a two-year position that will expire in March 2016.
It does have an option to renew. This position, and the people who have
been working with this senior advisor for military professionalism, have
been very busy integrating and coordinating the department's efforts
regarding ethics throughout the department. However, we have not seen
any information to indicate how this office is going to determine if it
should continue to exist after March 2016, or if its work is done. The
second effort I'd like to bring to your attention is that of a 2012
study that the department did that reinforced the need for a
values-based ethics program. A values-based ethics program can build on
a rules-based program or a compliance program by having guiding
principles that foster an ethical culture and help decision makers to
determine the best way forward when the roads are not that clear.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] Let me ask you then, from what we've seen, do
these efforts seem to be working?

[ Brenda Farrell: ] We don't know. That's one of the missing elements.
Metrics. Metrics to determine if this office, that I mentioned, that
oversees the ethics program is on track to make a determination of the
best way forward, metrics to determine if what the department already
has in place is working or if they need to make course corrections.
Those are missing.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then can you talk about what steps DOD would
need to take in the near term to get these programs to a more effective
place? It sounds like metrics is certainly one of those.

[ Brenda Farrell: ] Metrics is one. Another is, I mentioned the 2012
study that reinforced the need for a values-based program. In 2013, DOD
started training on values-based ethics. However, only 5 percent of
DOD's population have actually taken such training. DOD has not made a
determination if they really need a values-based program. So the first
step is to make a clear decision. Do they need such a program, and how
best to move forward? And they could use the 2012's reports, 14
recommendations, to help make such a determination.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] And finally, what would you say is the bottom
line of this report?

[ Brenda Farrell: ] DOD should be commended for the number of efforts
it's taken, some on its own initiative, but they have many activities
and haven't determined really what is working and what's not working. So
I'll go back to what I said earlier, metrics is what's needed in order
to determine the best way forward.

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