1. Standards & Accountability

3. Definitions Black & White Decision Making Case Studies/DiscussionOverview

4. Definitions Accountability – “To be answerable or responsible” Standards – “The morals, ethics, habits, and principles established by authority, custom, or an individual as accepted”

5. Black and White Decisions What do we mean by a black and white decision? What do we use to make black and white decisions in the military? What are some black and white decisions in the military?

6. Black and White Decisions What are some of the black and white decisions that you have had to make while here in training? What did you use to make these decisions? What are some of the black and white issues you will face at your home unit?

7. Black and White Decisions If people have guidance why do they choose not to follow guidance?

8. VIDEO “Friendly Fire”

10. Discussion Do you think more people should have been accountable for shooting down the Black Hawk helicopters? What did the initial actions in the incident say about accountability? What were some of the standards that were not upheld? Break time!

11. VIDEO “B-52 Crash”

13. Discussion What do you think about this situation? Senior/Junior crewmembers What do you think about Lt Col Holland? Was he a good pilot/officer?

14. Discussion How, 15 years after the Blackhawk and B52 incidents, did the Air Force have such a serious lapse of accountability in meeting and enforcing standards related to its nuclear enterprise? What is General Schwartz’s main point about accountability in his address to the Air Force Association Convention? Why are Air Force’s standards higher than society’s?

15. Discussion What is the relationship between standards and the Air Force Core Values? How does this relate to your training experience? What do the three case studies, or even the recent shooting at Fort Hood, ultimately say about the reality of accountability in the armed forces?

16. Discussion What are your responsibilities to enforce the standards? Given that mistakes help people learn and grow, how do you hold people accountable and still deal with the reality that people will make mistakes? What actions can you take to enforce the standards?

17. Discussion How does the principle of “know your job” tie into accountability? As illustrated by the three case studies, what happens when you know your job but just don’t do it? What can you do to increase subordinates’ awareness of accountability?

18. Definitions Black & White Decision Making Case Studies/DiscussionSummary