Leonard Wong on Honesty and Ethics in the Military

Paperwork Burden

The military's overwhelming paperwork burden creates significant ethical challenges for officers. Leonard Wong explains that the sheer volume of requirements exceeds the time available for officers to complete them, leading to a culture where dishonesty becomes a coping mechanism 1. This situation mirrors broader societal trends, where compliance often becomes a box-ticking exercise rather than a genuine engagement with the material. Wong shares an anecdote illustrating this point:

Where do the storyboards go? They're going to a magic storyboard heaven somewhere, where there are billions of storyboards that are collected or logged somehow.

--- Leonard Wong

This highlights the disconnect between the intended purpose of these requirements and their practical execution 2.

   

Compliance Challenges

The impossibility of meeting all compliance requirements effectively leads to widespread dishonesty within the military. Leonard Wong notes that while the requirements are well-intentioned, they often result in ethical fading, where the distance from the consequences of unethical behavior makes it seem less significant 3. This issue is not unique to the military but reflects a broader societal challenge where compliance is assumed to be 100% but is often unattainable. Wong describes the complexity of these situations:

Sometimes, though, it's not as complex as we want to say it is. We just say it's so complex and the fastest way through it is just to check a box.

--- Leonard Wong

This rationalization process underscores the need for reform in how compliance is managed and perceived 4.