...Are the recipients of the data and reports aware that the information provided to them may not be accurate? We looked to the views of civilians and officers serving on the Department of the Army staff in the Pentagon for some insights. Discussions revealed that most Army staff officers recognize that much of the data provided to them is imprecise.
When asked if units are submitting inaccurate data, one staff officer bluntly replied, "Sure, I used to do it when I was down there." Another staff officer added, "Nobody believes the data; [senior leaders] take it with a grain of salt . . . The data isn't valued, probably because they know the data isn't accurate."...
...it appears that a peculiar situation emerges where both those requesting information and those supplying it know that the information is questionable. Despite the existence of this mutually agreed deception, all concerned are content to sanction and support the illusion that all is well. In the words of one Department of the Army staff officer, "The facÃŒ §ade goes all the way up."...
...Discussions with officers, however, revealed that many of the same issues in the garrison environment also emerge in combat. For example, a senior officer described how the combat mission can lead to putting the right "spin" on reports...
..."White" lies and "innocent" mistruths have become so commonplace in the U.S. Army that there is often no ethical angst, no deep soul-searching, and no righteous outrage when examples of routine dishonesty are encountered. Mutually agreed deception exists in the Army because many decisions to lie, cheat, or steal are simply no longer viewed as ethical choices...
...Careerism is a potent force that serves as a catalyst for dishonesty. The current downsizing intensifies the competition in the ranks with very few officers desiring to be "alone on the island." In the words of one candid officer:
"We're all kind of vultures. The one guy [who told the truth] -- get him. He exposed himself. And no one wants to stand out. We all see reductions are being made. If you're looking to do this [stay in the Army] for a long period of time, your intent is to appease the person above you. Just like the person you're appeasing made that decision a long time ago."
Army leaders learn to talk of one world while living in another. A major described the current trend:
"It's getting to the point where you're almost rewarded for being somebody you're not. That's a dangerous situation especially now as we downsize. We're creating an environment where everything is too rosy because everyone is afraid to paint the true picture. You just wonder where it will break, when it will fall apart."
At the strategic level, it is this hypocrisy that allows senior Army leaders to unconcernedly shift a billion dollars to overseas contingency operations funding to minimize the base budget or to brief as fact the number of sexual assault response coordinators when the data are obviously suspect.
CONFRONTING THE TRUTH
While the preceding pages paint a somewhat dire picture, there is still much to be celebrated in the military profession. The military remains a noble profession filled with competent and committed servants of the nation. And yet the profession's foundation of trust is slowly being eroded by the corrupting influence of duplicity and deceit. Ignoring dishonesty as a minor shortcoming or writing it off as an inevitable aspect of bureaucracy accomplishes nothing. Instead, the Army must take some rather drastic measures in order to correct the current deleterious culture. Three broad recommendations are offered here. Each will be difficult to implement because of the entrenched culture, but each is critical to restoring trust in the Army profession...
Acknowledge the Problem.
...The effusive public adulation and constant profes- sional self-talk, however, can also lead to excessive pride and self-exaltation. Overconfidence can leave officers--especially those at the senior level--vulnera- ble to the belief that they are unimperiled by the temp- tations and snares found at the common level of life. The ease of fudging on a TDY voucher, the enticement of improper gifts, and the allure of an illicit relation- ship are minimized and discounted as concerns faced by lesser mortals.
...Tradition has it that in ancient Rome, a trium- phant general would ride in a celebratory procession through the city after a key battlefield victory. Always standing in the chariot behind the general, however, was a slave who whispered into the ear of the general, "Respice post te! Hominem te memento!" meaning "Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!"22 Acknowledging organizational and individual falli- bilities is the first step toward changing the culture of dishonesty plaguing the Army...
Exercise Restraint.
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