There is a story unfolding about a case of ethical misconduct that will, no doubt, be very shocking to most Americans – and with good reason, however the case doesn’t surprise me one bit. I will explain “why,” in just a little bit.
As the incidents in this case are alleged, it is best to comment in more general terms until all of the facts emerge. In an article written by Craig Whitlock for The Washington Post (November 11, 2013), we are introduced to two U.S. Navy admirals; Vice Admiral Ted Branch and Rear Admiral Bruce F. Loveless. Both high-ranking officers are implicated in a huge scandal involving bribery and the selling of classified military secrets.
This is an extremely serious charge made even more serious by the fact that Admiral Branch is the Navy’s top intelligence officer and Loveless is the director of intelligence programs. I’ve no doubt they would have brought the full weight of the Navy’s intelligence apparatus on an officer or enlisted person had they committed the same crime that the admiral’s are accused of committing.
According to Whitlock:
“Both admirals are being investigated for their ties to a Singapore-based defense contractor, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, whose chief executive was arrested in September on charges that he bribed other Navy officers into giving him classified or privileged information in exchange for prostitutes and cash.”
While the complete details of the case have not yet emerged, apparently underlings of the admirals as well as the admirals themselves have been caught in a web that was orchestrated by a very successful businessman in Singapore. The businessman, Leonard Glenn Francis, the chief executive of Glenn Defense Marine, had been under suspicion for a very long time and the trap has finally closed.
Francis bribed the officers to release information about ports, ship movements and shipping in order to build facilities to service the ships. The information Francis received from the officers enabled him to win contracts that amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The article states:
“Francis plied the officers with female escorts, cash, paid travel and other perks, including tickets to a Lady Gaga concert in Thailand and a performance of ‘The Lion King’ in Japan.”
Was It Worth It?
For Lady Gaga tickets and prostitutes, the officers (and this is still alleged) sold out their country, violated every ethical code of their rank, disgraced their families and those many honest people under their commands. I am ashamed of them (if they did it) and I am ashamed for them.
To be an admiral in the Navy is to achieve an extremely high rank. As an estimated base salary, an admiral makes about $170,000 a year plus some incredible extras such as a housing allowance. Trust me; some of their “quarters” are incredible. My point is that the admirals did not want more for salary or benefits. They have incredible power as well. If you watch NCIS, these are the bosses of the guys you admire who solve all those wild cases.
Of course, bribery and a lack of ethics don’t make for exciting television. They do make for huge problems in real life.
Was it worth it? No, of course not. Then we have to ask the more important question: Why did they do it? The simple answer is “opportunity.”
Very few individuals are above an admiral; they are gods (small “g” on purpose). They possess or can possess an arrogance that can only come from being members of a very small club. In this case, these men stand at the gates of classified materials. Perhaps, in their minds, the information they divulged to the Malaysian businessman was inconsequential. I disagree. I believe information on ship movements could have put many, many people in deep jeopardy.
When they were off on expensive trips with their “escorts” maybe they felt like big shots. To me, they come across as irresponsible and not worthy of the ranks they are about to lose.
No matter who we are, we must always guard against ethical missteps. We can lose infinitely more than we can gain, starting with our honor.
Sorry Chuck, had you read the news reports more carefully, you’d notice that these men allegedly committed these acts while lower than Admiral rank. As you did state at the beginning of your article, these accusations are alleged– not proven guilty yet. It seems to me a bit early to judge their character. All that has been done so far (while the investigation continues) is remove their access to classified data. A very common practice for all members serving the military hit with an investigation.
Chuck, et all,
There were scores of ships and many battle groups that transited that area during the time in question and as such, the information received by Glenn Defense Marine could, and most likely did, come from a number of sources, most likely information that was pieced together over a number of years. While it’s possible that these men stepped over the line more than most, that remains to be proven, and given the number of military personnel that a port provider has access to, it seems both likely and unnecessary.
Parties for an incoming battle group were very common during the era in question and generally benefit a broad group of Naval leaders, if not the entire battle group. Ascertaining which party perks were set up by the Navy’s Husbanding Agent and which weren’t, can sometimes be very difficult, even for field grade officers.
Chuck Gallagher, your piece is a sorry hit job, filled with unsupported insinuations an da disservice to the truth and to the men you castigate. How you exist in the printed world escaptes me. You are despicable in your wanton, careless, demeaning, and most imporotantly FALSE representations.
If the accusations are false, I say shame on you Chuck. There is a possibility you will destroy the careers and families. Again, if they are false accusations, you deserve to be sent to Afghanistan to have the militants put your head on a pole.
If, on the other hand, these accusations prove to be true, the damage done to the military is beyond (I can’t think of a work strong enough). Then I hope they are made to serve on a WWII ship (doubt there are any still around) in the engine room scrubbing deck plates for thirty years and reduced to the rank of seaman recruit. Enlisted men look up to their officers as men and women of integrity and for anyone to do what these officers are alleged to have done will cause enlisted men to question the honesty of their commanding officers and perhaps question orders (and who could blame them).
We live at a time when political – and now, perhaps, military – leaders have no integrity and are feeding at the swine troth deception to enrich themselves while hoisting their middle finger to those that should trust them.
As a former Navy man, I hope these allegations are false.
Jordan;
As a former Navy man myself, I cannot hope the allegations are either true or false, but rather, I intend to follow this story to its final conclusion, where I hope the truth will be known, one way or the other. While I do have my own suspicions on how this scandal will shake out, I must leave it for the justice system to ultimately reveal that truth to us. Having retired as a naval officer in 1994, less than three years after the infamous Tailhook Scandal, I am saddened to see the navy having to relive such negative publicity – saddened how we never seem to learn from past scandals. But as King Solomon revealed to us nearly 2,000 years ago:
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
While I do not necessarily agree or disagree with some of Chuck’s editorial comments expressed above, it will not be any of his comments that ultimately destroy careers and families, but rather the truth, if it reveals wrongdoing. And if it does reveal wrongdoing, let us learn from it, again heeding the words of King Solomon:
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
Robin
they did it. they scewed it. they licked it. they are cowerds.