To tackle corruption, defence and security establishments must not only prevent or punish each specific corrupt activity, but also build a broad ethical framework that guides behaviour and encourages positive, ethical behavior.

Corruption does not happen without human involvement: individuals must make the decision to partake in it.  People may participate in corrupt activities due to need, or to greed. In many cases, corruption caused by greed may generate corruption due to need—for example, if an officer skims off the top of his soldiers’ salaries, they may need to demand small bribes from the public in order to supplement their income. The ethical issues surrounding corruption are complex.

The most effective integrity regimes therefore place individual decision-making within a well-defined ethical framework. Such a framework should be designed to provide clear guidance as to what is and is not acceptable behaviour. Clear guidelines about what is ethical and what is unacceptable provide direction and clarity in areas that often pose difficult dilemmas for individuals. Promoting a strong ethical ethos within an organisation both reduces violations of corruption law and allows unacceptable behaviour to be detected more easily.

When defence and security establishments set high standards in ethics and business conduct, it makes a clear statement that they are taking corruption risks seriously.

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