CASE STUDY

“SFC Sharp and the SECRET Papers”

Recently, you received an assignment as the communications and electronics staff NCO of the 99th Infantry Battalion. You are replacing SFC Sharp who is on the promotion list to master sergeant and is departing for his next duty assignment in two weeks.

SFC Sharp’s welcome was impressive and he has done everything imaginable to ensure you’re getting off to a good start. Your Soldiers appear well trained, and your section sergeant, SGT Day, seems to know just about everything. You know you have big shoes to fill when SFC Sharp leaves because everyone seems to like and respect him. You’ve heard people say that he knows more about infantry operations than most infantry platoon sergeants.

SFC Sharp has cleaned out his desk and tells you to make yourself at home. Later this afternoon he is receiving an award for his service to the 99th. His farewell party is this evening at the club.

As you are setting up your things in your new desk, you discover some papers wedged between the wall and the side of the desk. You pull them out and discover that they are pages from a communication security book and marked “SECRET.” You attach a cover sheet to them and go into the security vault to talk to SGT Day.

SGT Day checks the inventory and destruction certificates and discovers that SFC Sharp certified the destruction of the book these pages came from two weeks ago. Both you and SGT Day search the vault and the outer office for any other pages but you don’t find any. SGT Day turns to you and says,
“Sergeant, I don’t know about you, but the way I see this is that our section area is secure every evening. The civilian cleaning team doesn’t even clean our area. Only our people ever come in here. From the look of these pages they’ve been behind that desk for some time. These pages are from an alternate communications security book and were never used. The schedule shows them scheduled for destruction two weeks ago, and as far as I’m concerned SFC Sharp destroyed them two weeks ago.”
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1. Clearly define the ethical problem.

The ethical problem is that by not reporting or talking to SFC Sharp about this breach of security, I would be compromising one of the army values integrity.
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2. Employ applicable laws and regulations.

•I would reference the Joint Ethics Regulation (JER) which provides general guidance concerning values that apply to all DOD employees. Then I would also consult the unit internal SOP to see if that can give my guidance on the situation
.3. Reflect on the ethical values and their ramifications.

•Loyalty: is an intangible bond based on a legitimate obligation. It involves the correct ordering of our obligations and commitments
.•&νβσπ;Duty outlines the sum: of all laws, rules, etc. that make up the professional, civic, and moral obligations of leaders. At a minimum, all Army leaders are expected to fulfill their obligations.
.•Respect: denotes the regard and recognition of the dignity that every human being possesses. It involves treating people as they should be treated and the effect of one's own behavior on them. It includes treating people justly.
.•Selfless service: involves the proper ordering of priorities. Think of it as service before self. While the focus is on service to the nation, this does not mean that the soldier neglects to take care of family or self.
.•Personal courage: enables us to face fear, danger or adversity no matter what the context. It means that we take responsibility for our decisions and subsequent actions.
Integrity: demands that we do not violate our personal moral beliefs.
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4. Consider other applicable moral principles.

•I would use the golden rule I would seek out to help correct the problem as if I was the one who made the mistake, Because let’s be honest no one is perfect.
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5. Commit to and implement the best ethical solution.

•I would go to SFC Sharp before he leaves and ask him what he would like you to do about the situation,
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6. Assess results and modify plan as required.

•When I talk to SFC Sharp and he refuses to do anything, I would then inform The chain of command of the breach in security