What is the importance of accountability in the military and in the work place? What is accountability by definition: (Department Of Defense) The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds.
The person having this obligation may or may not have actual possession of the property, documents, or funds. Accountability is concerned primarily with records, while responsibility is concerned primarily with custody, care, and safekeeping.Accountability is very important because it allows for your chain of command to know where you are at at the moment. Accountability in the workplace is defined as doing the right thing consistently, day in and day out, in tasks, relationship interactions to fulfill or further the mission of the organization. Accountability in business is very important as it costs US corporations billions in inefficiency, employee theft, and return of defective products.
Accountability is also important because it tells the unit commanders how many personnel are available to perform certain tasks. If a leader does not know how many troops are available then he or she will not know who is available to do what and when. Gear and equipment is also to be accounted for to have the "readiness" numbers and to make sure that the enemy is not getting a hold of your gear. Everything must be accounted for, from food, to rounds, to troops, to vehicles, to fuel, etc.
It is very crucial; to know what is available at all times. The enlisted soldier is responsible for all items issued to issued to him weather it be a weapon, Night Vision Goggles, to shirts, to socks, to Army Physical Fitness Uniforms, to Army Combat Uniforms, a vehicle, or some TA-50, a field manual, medication, Basic Initial Issue, etc. The Non-Commissioned Officer's responsibility is to make sure that the soldier is accountable for the items and has eyes on these items when needed, so that he can report it to his higher command.It is important to be aware of what you are issued and where it is located so you can quickly notice if something of importance has been misplaced or even stolen by another soldier. Anything can and will happen especially in combat, that's why the team member should make sure that the team or squad leader know where the soldier and his or her equipment is at all times. The Army spends a lot of money on equipment and belongings for the soldiers, so the Army expects to know where its equipment is.
No matter hat someone is always responsible for equipment in the Army. Accountability is important because it assures someone that needs will be met. If someone is accountable, you can trust that they will do what they claimed. Without accountability you would not be able to put your trust in someone to complete a job for you and other members of the team, or even show up on time to an important event ,or formation.
It is important because it holds each and everyone accountability for his or her actions.Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for ones actions. Now for the Army, it becomes an obligation more than“willingness” while you have to be willing to do it as well. Those that are unable to be accountable are the ones that jeopardize the combat readiness of any unit.
Basically it is the understanding that from the bottom up. Top down and laterally everyone is going to do and is willing to do the right thing even when no one else is looking.This is practiced at your home base where everyone is assigned tasks and details not only including your own job that you are expected to do and do right but hold others accountable as well as a system of “check yourself, then check your buddy. ” Doing the job correctly and ensuring others do it as well and do it safely are all part of accountability in the military as one does not have to experience combat to understand that just being in the military is inherently dangerous given the types of equipment and weapons that are used to train and deploy with.As an example any live weapons range you go to part of the safety brief is “everyone here is a range safety” meaning anyone can call a cease fire if they observe dangerous behavior or a situation regardless of rank and it can be a Colonel or a brand new private, does not matter.
As such in that event everyone becomes accountable not only for the operation of the range, the mission objective to have everyone qualify but do it in a safe manner as well .In Germany in order to obtain an operators permit or drivers license everyone must go through six months of driver education as well as pay what is I believe today is around three thousand dollars to include any vehicle on the road must pass a state inspection which is far from a cursory look at the fenders. Now with that they take driving and safety very seriously given the open ended speeds on many of the autobahns but the bottom line is they go through such lengths to ensure only safe vehicles and safe operators are on the road making the Government accountable to the citizens to ensure that happens.On top of that anyone that operates a vehicle in Germany does so with the understanding that everyone on the road is accountable for their actions.
Sure you still drive defensively but much of the “risk” is taken out of the equation as every operator goes with the expectation that the other individual is going to act responsibly as well, not just you. So, in the military the same thing goes. The government spend thousands of dollars for each person to be trained and when ready, the expectation at your permanent party duty station is that you are going to be accountable for your actions and you as an individual operate that everyone around you is going to do the same as that is what is not only taught but is expected. That and you train like you fight.Fire discipline, knowing who is to your front, left, right and rear and the mission itself right down to the last private with the understanding that when your direct supervisor is taken out then it is up to you to step up and complete the mission. That is being accountable for yourself, your actions and the actions of others as well.
Army Regulation 600-20 IAW Discipline. Why is discipline so important? Because to be accounted for is a part of disciplinary actions, and a part of being a professional and a soldier is by living the army values none more overpowering then the other. So yes Discipline along with the other Army Values is very important.
