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
1
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
2
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
3
Institutions – venues of
transparency and accountability
Parliament – fundamental element
Executive agencies of state
State audit authorities
Media
Academic and analytical institutions
Judiciary
4
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
5
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 state’s 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
6
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/
7
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
8
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”
9