ARRC JOURNAL
RISK TO THE MISSION, RISK
TO THE FORCE – WHY DOES
COUNTERING CORRUPTION
MATTER?
Mr Peter Appleby (GBR-Civ) and Col Alex van Nieuwburg (NLD-A)
Corruption will be evident (at different levels of intensity and impact) in every future
military campaign. It will exist within a coalition, the host nation, the resources network,
national and international political manoeuvring and the indigenous security apparatus.
Yet despite having had a significant adverse impact on recent operations, addressing
corruption still remains absent from doctrine, structures and training. HQ ARRC, as
a Corps warfighting HQ, is actively considering the impact of corruption on military
operations with a view to understanding and addressing corruption.
Corruption always
has a debilitating
long-term effect and
thus cannot play
a part in building
sustainable peace.
Failure to deal with
the downward spiral
may ultimately doom
any effort to rebuild
governance after
conflict.
pursue justice, maintain the rule of
law and deliver a stable and secure
environment. Corruption undermines
governments by eroding credibility,
legitimacy and accountability. Thus,
corruption prolongs conflict and poses
a risk to achieving mission success.
Corruption also poses a risk to the
reputation of the force e.g. NATO could
be accused of naively cooperating with
known corrupt civilians or host nation
officials.
Reputation Matters
Irrespective of the nature of a campaign,
in the globally interconnected world where
social media and instant assessments
shape public opinion, political calculus
and national decisions, reputation
matters. Equally, the stability of a host
nation and its institutions will determine
how much capacity an intervening
military force needs to divert from its
principal role of warfighting and peace-
Philippe Le Billon
Corruption, if evident and untamed,
could be a significant obstacle to
NATO’s future operations. Transparency
International (TI) defines corruption as
the ‘abuse of entrusted power for private
gain,’ It hampers development, prevents
the growth of the economy, undermines
societal unity and increases poverty and
income inequality. Due to corruption,
governments are less able to provide
essential services to the population,
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ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
Does corruption itself cause instability making military operations more likely?