Osan Air Base, South Korea. (September 25, 2024): Russia is a perfect example of how military corruption can destroy an Army in the field quicker than bombs and bullets. In this photo by Air Force Staff Sergeant Kahdija Slaughter, Senior Airman Raven Robinson conducts an inventory of every item and the location of every piece of equipment in their care. Inventory technicians conduct counts, issue materials, and ensure necessary items are restocked and available for use. Their honesty, integrity, and commitment to the service is the backbone of America’s war on corruption in the military. Corruption at any level is a threat to the lives of every service member.

The best example of military fraud is the Russian Army now hopelessly bogged down in Ukraine. In the post-Soviet system, senior administrators and Generals routinely steer large military sales to friendly contractors, which explains their lavish lifestyles. Meanwhile, mid-level officers help themselves to bulk goods, like gasoline, which they sell on the black market. The junior officers steal from their own troops, and the desperately poor privates cannibalize their equipment to sell on the internet. In the field, this has resulted in food and fuel-shortages, troops communicating through non-military grade radio systems, and a lack of winter clothing and boots.

American troops, by contrast, are well equipped due to the efforts of everyone involved in the supply chain. Every U.S. service member can count on having what they need, with backups, from a supply system that is transparent, carefully managed, and strictly accountable.

They may not generate the headlines, but these supply specialists play a vital role in keeping our military corruption free.