MONTEREY, Calif. -- The investigation on Naval Post Graduate leaders reveals allegation after allegation, questioning the morals and ethics of the Navy officers.
The Naval newspaper showed in 2011, 40 top Naval leaders in the country were fired. This year, the number is up to 42 commanding officers relieved of their duties. All for reasons ranging from personal misconduct to lack of leadership and integrity.
The question is who's watching the ones tasked with keeping everyone else in line?
The Naval Inspector General's investigation reveals specific examples of President Oliver's decisions to break the Navy's rules. It says Oliver, a retired Vice Admiral, regularly participated in ethics training, and was aware of those rules.
Central Coast News took a look at the 55 page annual Ethics Training Guide. Page after page, everything from accepting gifts, taking personal trips, and hiring standards are addressed.
The investigation said during Oliver's tenure he failed to conduct himself according with those rules even though he asked his subordinates to follow them.
But who keeps the commanding officers in line?
According to the National Defense University Enterprise that's where the problem lies. In his report, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Milburn said enlisted service members take an oath to follow the orders of the officers who lead them. Milburn said the high-ranking officers who do the leading don't take that same oath. They take an oath to follow the rules of the constitution, which he said can leave room for subjective actions.
It's important to note that, the very first thing in the Navy Code of Ethics states that Naval officers, above all should put ethical principles above private gain.
