Is the hypocrisy of senior leaders becoming problematic and leading the force towards an integrity crisis?

2015-06-06T06:26:57-04:00

The last few years have revealed a a host of senior leader stumbles and falls. The top ones that come to mind would be the AFRICOM Commander abusing travel, BG Sinclair's sexual assaults, and most notably the affair and classified information leakage of GEN Petraeus. All offenses that committed by a senior NCO or junior Officer would have come with life altering punishment but, these men walked away with hardly a scratch.
In this last two days I have seen two more instances of senior leaders on the wrong end of a GOMOR. Are these breaches of integrity contributory to what I have noticed as overall slide in discipline over the last few years? Or possibly a side effect from a worn out force after 14 years of war and the OPTEMPO it comes with?

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2015/06/03/sean-mulholland-special-operations-command-south-army-public-intoxication/28431763/

Report: Special operations commander cited for public intoxication

The one-star commander of Special Operations Command South was removed from command last year and retired at the rank of colonel, the Army said.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 6:43 AM

2015-06-06T06:43:14-04:00

I don't think this is something really new. This has been happening but now the media is all about any military stories due the wars. If there wasn't a war going on there wouldn't be this much of an up roar. I have seen leaders at all levels get away with some mistakes with a scratch and then there are some that got a couple books thrown at them. It really depends on the timing of the incident. For example if you were to openly bad mouth any of the females that are in any of these programs while operating in your official capacity you could kiss your career good bye. Saying something like "some were to weak to pass the fitness test," which really isn't anything that you would think is negative. The same could be said about the males that failed. But the media and others in charge would be throwing you under the bus so fast you might want to grab a snickers and want for the bus to actually get there. The media would instantly attack you as being sexist and anyone around you would distance themselves. It could be this or alcohol, or anything else.

Leaders are going to fail. It is something that is just going happen. They should be dealt with in a professional manner and not in a media trial that is going on so often now a days.

Response by MSG Greg Kelly made Jun 6 at 2015 7:37 AM

2015-06-06T07:37:37-04:00

This is a great question. I know this is an issue when a soldier of any rank is punished for any offense and then sees someone else of any rank not punished for the same offense be given a pass, this is a moral breaker.

But keeping to the question. Yes seeing so many officers in such high positions walk away with no punishments for such obvious offenses is a terrible thing. And this is not the first time look at Abu Grab. If my memory serves didn't that commander not only walk away without punishment but was later promoted. I was taught as a young soldier you can delegate authority but not responsibility and the leader is responsible for all their troops do and don't do.

While I do not believe in making examples of people these soldiers and they are soldiers first they became officers and climbed the ranks but they are still soldiers not just a General they should have been punished but once you make Field grade in Army you have become a politician unless that soldier has the sand to keep their priorities straight. Look at some of the field grades on RP they are such obvious politicians it is disgusting and they infect other people with their questions simply because of their rank.

I had a great man raise me and great men train me so I learned early respect the rank but the man behind it still had to earn my respect just because he was in charge did not mean he knew what he was doing or was a good man. And Rank does not mean Privileged.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 7:47 AM

2015-06-06T07:47:40-04:00

Good topic, and very timely. As CPT Private RallyPoint Member commented, these sorts of things have always happened, but there does seem to be a trend of more transparency (on the part of the Air Force and Navy, at least, not so much in the Army or Marines) and media attention. High-profile firings are probably more conspicuous and news-worthy these days because we've gone for so very long without holding senior officers / officials accountable (read Tom Ricks in The Generals, or Fiasco, and etc).

There may be underlying systemic issues--perhaps, as you mention, such things might be the result of 14 years of free reign, lack of necessary civilian oversite, and a worn-out force; they might be the result of the era in which these senior leaders "grew up" in the Army (ie, the 1990s) and their baseline perspectives as prototypical "1990s" officers (although for the last two examples, the one you posted and the 75th Ranger Regiment Commander, this is hard to sustain, as these two have spent more time deployed as "GWOT" officers than many folks who entered service in the 2000s). It may be (as was the case with LTC(Ret) Sinclair) that senior officers operate with a sense of impunity (ie, "I can do what I want because I'm a colonel / general officer, rules don't apply to me" etc) in a culture where honesty and integrity aren't (as argued recently in the Wong piece from the US Army War College) bedrock values.

It may also be that, as with any population, there are a few bad apples. Let's not forget that we have nearly 1,000 general/flag officers, and more than 10,000 colonels. In large populations, there are bound to be folks that misbehave.

The Army, in the two recent cases, is not helping itself as an institution by being less than transparent. Get the facts out there, without a FOIA request; seize the initiative, explain what occurred, what the results were, and communicate to the force that a standard exists. Right now, I suspect there's a large swath of the O-4 and below ranks (who have born the brunt of force shaping involuntary separations and retirements) who wonder what message the Army is sending when a colonel or BG receives a GOMOR for misconduct but isn't involuntarily separated, when so many of the O-4s and below who were involuntarily separated were kicked out for GOMORs for very similar misbehavior.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Jun 6 at 2015 8:09 AM

2015-06-06T08:09:12-04:00

Yes, our leaders are HYPOCRITES.

Defined as: (1) A person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns others for. (2) A person who professes certain ideals, but fails to live up to them.

These breaches of integrity and the lack of REAL punishment to these senior officers contributes to the lack of discipline. I believe a General or equivalent in the service MUST be held to the highest standard and allowing anything different sends the message that an ethical lapse is tolerable.

As leaders, we can't have it both ways, we must establish the standard and then hold people accountable to it. If we want to build in a 'level of redemption', we must allow this for the entire force and establish a new standard.

I find the lack of enforcement at the GO level making a mockery of the application of the UCMJ to Senior leaders. This is '...say as I say, not say as I do'. It is NOT Leadership by example and hurts the force and Warrior Ethos.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jun 6 at 2015 8:24 AM

2015-06-06T08:24:20-04:00

This is an age old problem. Hang the junior guy out to dry, but senior enlisted or senior officer commit the same offense? Meh... Let 'em retire. The worst I've seen is General Officers having to retire at the last rank they "served honorably" at. Generally going down one rank. So a 4 Star being forced to retire as a 3 Star. Wah... cry me a river over your lost money. You still get a pension and all benefits.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 10:30 AM

2015-06-06T10:30:50-04:00

I voted indifferent. I cannot change the actions or personalities of those above me, I can only impact myself and my small world. If I instill a sense that integrity is important in my guys and gals then I have done my part. I cannot change all but I will impact what I can.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 10:35 AM

2015-06-06T10:35:32-04:00

I think so, especially when it is one of those violations that troops are constantly being lectured to about-- like SHARP or alcohol-related violations. It is all too obvious that senior leadership is not being held accountable to the same standards.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 12:51 PM

2015-06-06T12:51:18-04:00

I may be off base here but I think this issue ties back into our flawed promotion system. It fails to properly assess our personnel. I've seen senior NCOs and Officers with glowing reviews, multiple deployments, awards for valor. But when you meet that person and serve under them, they turn out to be something completely different from what you saw on paper. The review system does not and cannot paint an accurate picture of someone. And this review system is the key component when it comes to promotions and appointments.
I honestly believe we need a new way to evaluate candidates for senior ranks and key positions. Maybe the 360 feedback system is the answer, maybe not. But as the good 1SG pointed out, we're seeing a shift in discipline and conduct across the force and we need to address the source of the problem, not the symptoms.

Response by 1LT David Moeglein made Jun 6 at 2015 2:51 PM

2015-06-06T14:51:43-04:00

Welcome to the post modern society, where all social values are relative unless you are a conservative. The punishment appears to be less severe when you've been around longer and know where the bodies are buried. I would like to see a return to traditional values that promote integrity and high moral standards.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 10 at 2015 8:47 AM

2015-06-10T08:47:30-04:00

Several incidents of generals behaving badly doesn't mean an integrity crisis..it means that the generals behaved badly and were disciplined for their behavior.

Integrity comes from within. It part of your moral structure and character. No amount of misbehavior by your senior leaders can affect your integrity if you don't let it.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 10 at 2015 8:49 AM

2015-06-10T08:49:03-04:00

Great question Top

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 12:47 PM

2015-06-17T12:47:14-04:00

A pivotal moment in my career came when as Platoon Sergeant I had my 1SG tell me to check my integrity at the door. From there on my outlook of senior leadership changed.

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jun 21 at 2015 12:41 PM

2015-06-21T12:41:13-04:00

It isn't "hypocrisy" as much as "cult of personality." Leaders often confuse loyalty to mission with loyalty to person and that leads to troubles. Don't kid yourselves -- it isn't just senior officers, it's senior NCOs. When the Command Sgt Major of the US Army get's busted for sexual harassment (as do hundreds of other senior NCOs) as does The Judge Advocate General of the USAF, it suggests something is seriously wrong/flawed in our leadership models. I came on active in 1971 when we had plenty of "draft dodgers" hiding in plain sight (few people in USAF get killed, most die of boredom) but those people also questioned everything, pushed for change and a lot stayed in and became professional warriors. A lot got out as the forces drew down. Then the cold war ended in 1989 and after Desert Storm there was another big RIF in 1992 and at that point we began to see the "culture of weaseldom" emerge. People who could utter all the buzz words "7 Habits of Highly effective people, Total Quality Management" and the like started moving up. They weren't warriors, they were P.C. marionettes who ran after and emulated their "hook" "rabbi" "patron" "mentor" and the like and they also shoved their noses directly up their asses and were amply rewarded with their obsequious behavior. We saw visionary leaders like Col John Warden who developed the "concentric rings" theory get pushed aside by more flamboyant and "better and brighter" weasels to carry the standard. We promoted people of no substance, all style. DC became the center of the universe and some of those "young masters of the universe" would leave the enchanted city for a brief exposure to the real time Air Force and then nip back into the safety of the Mil Dist of DC and find a new job with new letters at the end of it. After 20 years the second and third generations of weasels were fully entrenched, but there weren't enough jobs in DC so they started flowing them out to active bases. As a result we've seen nukes being flown across country with nobody noticing, we have cheating scandals at missile bases, we have sexual assaults not being prosecuted, more and more "senior" leaders showing an utter lack of maturity for the job they were selected for and an uncomfortable level of religious fundamentalism permeating every level of our military society. I've been called to meetings to "Fight the Devil" (1993 - we had a Baptist Minister/Base Commander in Panama who thought it was an issue - I walked out of that one) and seen idiots put all kinds of bible quotes on their subscription lines on their emails and insist it was "OK." Maybe we need a draft again, but we need to do something. The USAF jumped a young Colonel over much more senior Cols and Brigadiers to be the Deputy TJAG to help kill off the weasels and restore some much needed integrity so it can be done. We just have to have the institutional will. I've been on active for each decade from 1971 through my retirement in 2004. I lived overseas for more than 11 years and served in multiple combat zones. I think I have a fair perspective on the history of change.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 21 at 2015 5:52 PM

2015-06-21T17:52:30-04:00

We don't need soldiers snickering because a general, lied, cheated, stole, gave away classified information, took his wife on TDY trips, coerced women for sex, and accepted high value gifts.