‘Unless the demands of loyalty are properly understood by the personnel involved, then such situations are much more likely to be viewed as genuine ethical dilemmas. It is only in recognizing the disloyalty inherent in a demand by a colleague to help to cover up their misconduct, despite the duty to report it, that military personnel are likely to start to view such a situation as a test of integrity.’ (Coleman, 2013)

So the question here is, if knowledge of these actions creates an ethical dilemma, poses a test of integrity, or neither, what is actually at stake, and why should you care?

• There is obviously a right answer here: you should report your colleague, despite their money problems.

• If you don’t report your colleague, you are both acting without integrity.

• If you cover up for your colleague, you may also find yourself on the wrong end of the law.

You should consider what is actually at stake here, and what the positive and negative consequences of your action/inaction might be.

Stephen Coleman, Military Ethics: an Introduction with Case Studies, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013), p50.