"We need courage from the bottom to tell the truth," he says. "If it's systematically biased, of course, you're not going to get accurate measures" If data aren't accurate, forget about measuring everything; maybe sampling is the answer. We've allowed the system to substitute for leadership in many cases, Nasser says.
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.