Panetta Briefs Obama on Leadership Ethics Recommendations

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last week briefed President Obama on the initial recommendations to come from the Joint Chiefs of Staff-led review of general/flag officer ethics, according to a Pentagon release. Panetta presented two initial findings to Obama that JCS Chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey had forwarded to Panetta, said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little in a Dec. 7 release. The first finding is that there is appropriate ethics training in place for senior leaders, but “we need to start earlier and reinforce that training more frequently in an officer’s career,” said Little. The second finding is that “Dempsey believes we must look at the level and type of support senior leaders receive in the execution of their duties to ensure it is necessary” and “to determine whether it is appropriate,” said Little. Dempsey has reached no decisions yet on addressing these two issues, noted Little. (AFPS report by Jim Garamone) (See also Panetta Order Review of Senior Military Stewardship.)