The army is undergoing a downsizing, and there's pressure on keeping the best. People don't want to look bad compared to their peers,. And so what that does is it accentuates this drive towards perfection. Officers are deluged with sign this, sign that, verify compliance with this. The numbing is getting much more accelerated than in the past.
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.