Senior military leaders place their needs above the needs of the services and the nation. No amount of training can fix that.
If Hollywood wanted to script a movie about the current leadership of the U.S. military, the titles could range from “Men Behaving Badly” to “How I Committed Some Crimes and Still Got Promoted.” The first might end up in the adult section and the second as a training film, but both would tell the story of the sad ethical state of military leadership in the United States.
In the past few years, senior military leaders have been fired at a surprising pace for offenses ranging from financial mismanagement and fraud, to adultery and rape. Between 2005 and 2013, 18 flag officers were fired — 10 for sexual misconduct and two for alcohol-related offenses, according to statistics compiled by the Associated Press. During that same period, 255 commanders in the rank of lieutenant colonel and above have been removed from command because of personal misconduct. Four out of ten were removed for sexual offenses, such as adultery, harassment, and sexual assault. The surge in character-challenged leaders has brought embarrassment to the military and threatens the credibility of the services with political leaders and the American public.
No comments:
Post a Comment