The Military Acquisition Profession

Corrupt leadership in the military acquisition community is a persistent problem. Over the past three decades the procurement profession has suffered significantly from numerous scandals. These blemishes often involve significant fiscal impropriety by a senior military leader placing self interest ahead of profession obligations. This paper identifies the problem in military acquisition as essentially a deficit of moral leadership. Background arguments for the professional nature of the military acquisition corps are first presented to establish the applicability of military ethics. Three case studies are considered to illustrate the manifestations and pervasiveness of the problem. A distinction is elucidated between morality (e.g. right vs. wrong actions and motivations) and ethics (actions that are fair and legal). The material point is that moral leadership is foundational to moral culture. Lastly, various conclusions and courses of action are considered.