"When you start allowing that type of reasoning ... who decides what is right and wrong?" he asks. "What it really does is it's the seed that starts feeding this hypocrisy in the profession, where we think we are so ethical but our day-to-day dealings, we fall victim to this ethical fading."
Leonard Wong of the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about honesty in the military. Based on a recent co-authored paper, Wong argues that the paperwork and training burden on U.S. military officers requires dishonesty--it is simply impossible to comply with all the requirements. This creates a tension for an institution that prides itself on honesty, trust, and integrity. The conversation closes with suggestions for how the military might reform the compliance and requirement process.