Accountability: Inconsistent, Situation Dependent and Subjective

Recent events such as the Black Hawk shoot down in Bosnia and Khobar Tower bombing in Saudi Arabia, along with strong public opinion have focused national attention on the issue of accountability. Despite this increased attention, it is the opinion of this author that senior Air Force leadership has not adequately defined, explained or standardized the concept of accountability. As a result, there exists a perception that accountability, in its application, is inconsistent, situation dependent, and subjective. This perception gives the appearance of a double standard and a one mistake Air Force. Divided into seven chapters, the paper's primary focus centers on two questions: first, what is the Air Force definition of accountability and second, why the increased emphasis on it? After answering these two questions, student accountability survey results are examined. Analysis will provide some insight into how the new emphasis on accountability is perceived by a select group of Air Force Officers at Air War College (AWC), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), and Squadron Officer School (SOS). Moving to the heart of the paper, three high profile incidents, which address the application of accountability, are analyzed: an F-15C crash, which resulted in charging two NCOs with negligent homicide; the Khobar Tower bombing, a case in which the accountability issue is still pending; and the CT-43 mishap, a case in which several people in the chain of command were held accountable. The paper will end with a conclusion and several recommendations.

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