Is Anyone Accountable?

The U.S. military needs oversight

Credit: sorbetto

So it seems that a 21-year-old National Guard member trying to impress his teenage buddies in an online chatroom was responsible for one of the most significant and damaging leaks of classified military and intelligence information in years. 

There are a lot of questions around what happened and why, but three big ones stand out: How the heck could someone of this man’s rank get access to this information? How was he able to leak it for months, without anyone in authority noticing? And, who, if anyone, is going to be held to account for this damaging mess other than the leaker himself?

The United States spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars trying to protect this nation. We have some of the best and brightest minds managing security measures so our most sensitive information is kept out of enemy hands. Our military, diplomats, spies, and civilian leaders need to be able to conduct the business of national defense confident that their deliberations and findings will not be breached. 

By these standards, what happened was a failure. And while explanations for why it was possible may exist, none of them should be considered acceptable. This soldier will undoubtedly face the full weight of the American justice system. But it shouldn’t stop there. People higher up — including those at the very top — should have to answer hard questions and face punishment, including potentially the end of their careers. No amount of stonewalling and backside-covering should obscure the fact that this case is serious stuff.

But this incident also highlights a deeper challenge: The American military requires far more accountability. 

This is not exclusively a Republican issue or a Democratic one; sadly, neglect of meaningful oversight of our armed forces and intelligence agencies is a rare area of bipartisan consensus. 

You never met anyone who has more respect for the men and women of our armed forces and intelligence agencies. And by no means do we suggest that what the Pentagon, the CIA, and other national security organizations are called upon to do isn’t important. On the contrary, it is vital. And it is expensive. And it often means working on the margins of unproven technology and uncertain risks. 

We can all wish these measures weren't necessary, but recent events from Ukraine to China demonstrate how fraught the current global security situation is. 

That said, the Biden administration is seeking $842 billion for the next Department of Defense budget. That’s $26 billion more than was allocated for this year. And $100 billion more than FY 2022. That’s a lot of money, no matter how you cut it. 

Perhaps the clean round numbers don’t effectively convey scale. Consider this: $842 billion comes to more than $26,000 dollars spent every second of every day for a year. Hold your breath for 20 seconds. There goes half a million dollars. 

We can and should have meaningful debates over whether this money represents an appropriate balance for our tax dollars, considering all our other needs. But even if you think this level of spending is warranted, surely we can agree that it should come with a lot more oversight. 

“What’s a billion dollars here or there,” should not be an acceptable mindset. 

However, from weapons systems that are outdated or under delivered to cost overruns to bloated contracts to arms companies with packs of lobbyists and little competition, there is a general culture of impunity around our military and intelligence services. And there’s a haughtiness and “how dare they” attitude when journalists or the public start to ask questions. 

Maybe it's partly because politicians from both sides appear hesitant to conduct effective supervision. Republicans love to run on national defense and attack Democrats for being weak. Democrats, who fear living up to that stereotype, often try to be even more “pro-military.”

But being truly pro-military should be about effectiveness and not just racking up dollars spent. 

These topics attracted attention recently when comedian/social commentator Jon Stewart conducted an interview with Biden’s number two at the Pentagon, Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks. Stewart asked a series of hard questions and follow-ups that should make journalists proud. 

The context is that the Pentagon has failed several consecutive audits, although they claim they are making progress getting a handle on a massive and complex organization. Stewart sought a little more commonsense clarity. One should hear the tone as well as the substance of the exchange (part of a larger interview). 

Initially it might feel like a stretch to link this interview with the leaked top secret documents. Yes, they are fundamentally different: what appears to be a reckless rogue actor on the one hand and the creakings of institutional inertia on the other, the willful damaging of our national interests vs. public servants working to further our national security. 

But what the two situations have in common is also significant. Both are about accountability and a true system of checks and balances. 

We have a massive slice of our federal budget funding sweeping initiatives with not nearly enough oversight. And that is a state of affairs that is also precarious to our national defense.

Would it really be political suicide for members of Congress to take a tougher line on asking questions and holding the Pentagon, like any other office of government, at least a bit more accountable?

As President Eisenhower famously warned in his farewell address: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

We can support our troops without blindly saluting the institutions they serve and we fund. Indeed, insisting that our defense dollars be well spent is a form of support for our service men and women. 

With all the dollars at stake, the bucks have to stop with someone: the military chain of command, Congress, and President Biden. We are entitled to know about corruption and incompetence — and where our money goes. 

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