Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 21, 2010 22:20:54 GMT 12
Damning report criticises defence force
Published: 4:19PM Wednesday July 21, 2010
Source: ONE News
A damning report has been released into the culture and management within our defence force.
It follows an Auditor-General's investigation after four defence staff unlawfully claimed allowances while seconded to the United Nations in 2008
The report concludes defence force members were too scared to question those in command.
It also found poor policy and mismanagement in a number of areas.
In the report presented to Parliament today Auditor-General Lyn Provost also questioned values within the NZDF which allowed a belief to develop that any officer could be ordered to commit an unlawful act.
"This issue was mismanaged from start to finish," she said in her report.
"The policy process was slow at every point and provided advice that was either flawed or totally wrong."
The previous government asked the Auditor-General's Office to investigate the payment controversy and look at the causes of the problem.
There had already been a military Court of Inquiry which reported on how four officers seconded to the UN between 2001 and 2008 had wrongly claimed accommodation allowance by submitting false declarations.
Provost said "too many people" told her own inquiry that the command requirements prevented them from raising concerns about the integrity and legality of what was being done.
"And too many people accepted it as plausible that they were being directed to behave unlawfully," she said.
"The four seconded officers - all highly-regarded and senior people - were all willing to accept as plausible that NZDF headquarters was expecting or ordering them to complete a false declaration to manipulate financial entitlements."
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says the report's findings will be included into an already announced review of the defence force - and says he expects a higher standard in the future.
He says from now on he expects senior leaders to set and meet a higher standard for the future.
"The military values of courage, commitment, comradeship and integrity are the cornerstone of service in our Defence Force," he said.
"The Chief of Defence Force is determined to ensure that these are fully understood and applied at the individual level."
Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae said the report's finding were accepted and were consistent with the conclusions of its own inquiry.
He said the Auditor-General had accepted that the officers involved - who were not named in the report - were not financially motivated and did not sign false declarations in the hope of being better off.
"These officers have already been censured, as were the two officers responsible for policy development at the time," he said.
"I take all of the Auditor-General's findings extremely seriously. I have undertaken to act upon all of the recommendations."
tvnz.co.nz/national-news/damning-report-criticises-defence-force-3664543
Published: 4:19PM Wednesday July 21, 2010
Source: ONE News
A damning report has been released into the culture and management within our defence force.
It follows an Auditor-General's investigation after four defence staff unlawfully claimed allowances while seconded to the United Nations in 2008
The report concludes defence force members were too scared to question those in command.
It also found poor policy and mismanagement in a number of areas.
In the report presented to Parliament today Auditor-General Lyn Provost also questioned values within the NZDF which allowed a belief to develop that any officer could be ordered to commit an unlawful act.
"This issue was mismanaged from start to finish," she said in her report.
"The policy process was slow at every point and provided advice that was either flawed or totally wrong."
The previous government asked the Auditor-General's Office to investigate the payment controversy and look at the causes of the problem.
There had already been a military Court of Inquiry which reported on how four officers seconded to the UN between 2001 and 2008 had wrongly claimed accommodation allowance by submitting false declarations.
Provost said "too many people" told her own inquiry that the command requirements prevented them from raising concerns about the integrity and legality of what was being done.
"And too many people accepted it as plausible that they were being directed to behave unlawfully," she said.
"The four seconded officers - all highly-regarded and senior people - were all willing to accept as plausible that NZDF headquarters was expecting or ordering them to complete a false declaration to manipulate financial entitlements."
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says the report's findings will be included into an already announced review of the defence force - and says he expects a higher standard in the future.
He says from now on he expects senior leaders to set and meet a higher standard for the future.
"The military values of courage, commitment, comradeship and integrity are the cornerstone of service in our Defence Force," he said.
"The Chief of Defence Force is determined to ensure that these are fully understood and applied at the individual level."
Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae said the report's finding were accepted and were consistent with the conclusions of its own inquiry.
He said the Auditor-General had accepted that the officers involved - who were not named in the report - were not financially motivated and did not sign false declarations in the hope of being better off.
"These officers have already been censured, as were the two officers responsible for policy development at the time," he said.
"I take all of the Auditor-General's findings extremely seriously. I have undertaken to act upon all of the recommendations."
tvnz.co.nz/national-news/damning-report-criticises-defence-force-3664543
