Transparency and accountability in the management of defence

1
Transparency and accountability in the management
of defence

• Dr. Andrzej Karkoszka
• Acting Undersecretary for Defence Policy
• Director, Strategic Defence Review
• Ministry of National Defence, Poland

2
What is transparency and accountability?

• In management of defence, as in any public
  service, legislative and executive authorities
  have an obligation to account /reveal, explain,
  justify/ for their actions and for the allocation
  of public funds
• Political, financial, administrative, legal
  accountability
• Transparency condition of accountability,
  provision of information to citizen,
  institutions, and the outside world on plans and
  actions of authorities

3
What is to be transparent?

• Defence budgeting and planning
• Management of defence system
• Military structures and personnel policy
• Strategic doctrine
• Procurement and investment
• International interactions in defence
• Arms transfers

4
Institutions venues of transparency and
accountability

• Parliament fundamental element
• Executive agencies of state
• State audit authorities
• Media
• Academic and analytical institutions
• Judiciary

5
What are the benefits of transparency and
accountability?

• Effectiveness balancing of state/social needs
  with resources, proper execution of plans
• Public confidence legitimization of state
  authorities and their policies, including actions
  of the military
• Barrier to corruption, nepotism, neglect
• Facilitation of corrective action
• External confidence building/cooperation

6
Resistance to transparency

• Political wish to preserve knowledge by
  dominant group to avoid consequences,
  unwillingness to discuss defence issues with the
  opposition
• Security if clandestine action is the only way
  of securitng interests of state, fear of
  disclosure to enemy in conflict, legitimate
  states secrets
• Legal to avoid persecution
• Bureacratic to cover up mismanagemet or lack of
  professional abilities
• Legacies of the past lack of interest or of a
  habit

7
Requirements for transparency and accountability

• Legal norms setting the requirement
• Political will /mind-set, attitudes, practices/
• Professional cadres /analysts, experts/
• Public awareness /education/
• Technological base /printing, data bases,
  comunications, standards/

8
Examples of means and methods for execution of
transparency

• Parliamentary debates, hearings, interpelations,
  reports, special commissions
• Governmental documents on budgets, plans /White
  Books, reports, analyses/
• Audit reports and their public debate
• Uncensored media coverage

9
Transparency and accountability a few cases
from real life

• Cover-ups in the name of military corporate
  interest
• Over-sophisticated documents only for experts
• Misinformation as a way of protection
• Accountability within the ranks the most
  difficult aspect of accountability implementation
• Power of monopoly on information