Corruption risk in defence and security establishments is a key concern for defence officials and senior military officers, as corruption wastes scarce resources, reduces operational effectiveness and reduces public trust in the armed forces and security services. Part of the solution to these risks is clear guidance on the behaviour expected of senior officers and officials, and strong application of those standards of behaviour.

In cooperation with H.E. the Ambassador of Norway Mr Kim Traavik, Transparency International's Defence and Security Programme  launched a new multi-country study, “Codes of Conduct in Defence Ministries and Armed Forces,” at the Norwegian Embassy in London on Tuesday the 28th of June, 2011.

This report presents the conclusions of an analysis of the written codes of conduct and related documents from 12 participating nations: Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Kenya, Lithuania, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.