The Army Reporting Requirements Are Worse Than They Are Twenty Years Ago

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The reporting requirements are worse than they were twenty years ago, he says. The army is cumulative organization and never takes anything off over the even if it isn't needed anymore in a specific area. Technology has made digitization so much easier now that people can verify their work with more ease. He suggests telling all officers i you only have to comply with eighty percent of the stuff that you do.

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.