accountability in the army

accountability in the army

All walks of life demand discipline and accountability but when it comes to army, soldiers are trained especially on these lines primarily because there are huge costs associated in case these principles are not held high by the armed forces. All organized armies focus on the importance of accountability and teach it at the very beginning stages. Ranging from showing up on time to safeguarding records and from keeping account of resources to covering fellow soldiers, everything fall under the domain of accountability.
The US Army demands that all its members be accountable for their actions, equipment, records, duties and even for their fellow warriors. Accountability is held so high in army because it influences planning especially in times of war. For example, a commanding officer has to know about the whereabouts and availability of all his soldiers and their gear, because without this information he could not possibly proceed with the mission. Also say a soldier goes missing or shows up late on the mission day, the commanding officer would either have to fight a man short or else call off the mission, and neither of these choices are acceptable. Therefore, in army everyone should be able to handle what he is supposed to, so that he does not prove out to be a weak link in the chain, whereby jeopardize the entire planning. All the soldiers rely on each other in wartime, and accountability ensures that they continue to do so. The level of accountability in the army differs with the rank, which one holds, for instance a general would be expected to be more accountable than a lieutenant. This also shows that one responsibility of being promoted within the ranks of army is accountability. People confuse accountability with authority; the basic difference between the two is that authority could be assigned if needed, whereas accountability cannot.
Accountability is not only concerned with personnel, in fact keeping accountability of records and necessary...

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