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The costs of military operations and the increased cash flow brought in by military forces , combined with the high demands of the military for resources ( such as fuel ), or sustainment contracts ( such as fuel transport ) during military operations are likely to exceed the countries absorptive capacities ( as for example in Afghanistan ). This has led to massive injections of capital in a country which fed warlords and corrupt government representatives , who controlled the resources .
NATO : Counter-corruption and anti-corruption Whilst fighting corruption is inherently not a military task , militaries often operate ( under non-Article V operations ) in failed or failing states where crisis are political rather than military , and where rampant corruption most likely exists at all levels in national administrations and businesses . Corruption provides insurgents with financial means . Therefore , militaries should be on guard against stimulating corruption and take measures to prevent and mitigate it . Civil-military coordination planners and operators should continuously work to ensure prevention of spreading corruption as a result of military operations , particularly in the field of intelligence gathering , in-theatre contracting , and training of local military forces .
According to a survey carried out by Transparency International , people in most countries have a great confidence in their armed forces⁵ . Militaries must therefore constantly strive to build and maintain integrity , and although the military is not traditionally the leading agent for counter corruption , it often operates in an environment where corruption hampers economic development , affects daily life of a country ’ s citizens , and feeds the insurgency . Therefore , the impact of corruption on mission success , and ultimately the stabilization and recovery of a country , should never be underestimated .
NATO ’ s corruption policy The NATO Building Integrity ( BI ) Policy provides clear guidance on the need for preventive and countering corruption measures to be incorporated into the Alliances three core tasks . The ACO Directive on BI provides strategic level direction and guidance regarding building integrity in the framework of NATO ’ s three core tasks and , in particular , on the planning and conduct of NATO and NATO-led operations and missions . A BI assessment is to be included in the NATO Crisis Response Planning ( NCRP ) process . The identification of corruption facts and risks is also to be considered within the Comprehensive Preparation of the Operational Environment . The BI Action Plan consists of a range of measures to be implemented at political , strategic , operational and tactical levels . The LANDCOM BI Working Group has been tasked to ensure a full implementation of the BI Plan .
The NATO Building Integrity Programme
FALL 2020
As a key player in crisis response operations , NATO should be on guard against fueling corruption . Failure to do so will threaten both the success of the mission and the future sustainability of the states . The BI Programme was launched by the NATO HQ in 2007 with the aim to enhance the transparency , accountability and counter and anti-corruption in the defence sector and affiliated organizations . It focuses on the analysis of corruption risks in defence sectors and helps design national anti-corruption programs . The BI policy published in 2016 states that preventing and countering corruption needs to be incorporated into the Alliance ’ s key tasks , from collective defense , to crisis response , to cooperative security . A Military Concept for BI in Operations is under development . A BI action plan aimed at integrating anticorruption considerations into NATO ’ s activities was developed to ensure full implementation . LC
More information on BI is available at : www . buildingintegrity . hq . nato . int
- Corruption and Conflict : hand in glove by Dr . Karolina MacLachlan ( 1 ) Global Conflict Tracker , Ukraine . Council on Foreign Relations ( 2018 ), https :// www . cfr . org / interactive / global-conflict-tracker / conflict / conflict-ukraine 27