Retired military leaders say values must guide decisions as ethics outpace law

SALT LAKE CITY — Retired senior military officers told a University of Utah audience on Wednesday that clear core values, repeated training and personal accountability are the foundation of ethical leadership — and that following the law is a floor, not a ceiling, for good conduct. Major General Andrew Turley, retired Air Force deputy general counsel for fiscal, ethics and administrative law, said military services embed core values in daily routines and training, and that applying those values in real situations is the hard part. "Values are simple. Applying them is tough," Turley said. The panel at the Hinckley Institute of Politics’ forum on ethical leadership brought together Turley and two retired naval officers: Rear Admiral Len Herring, now active in environmental nonprofits, and Rear Admiral Todd Squire, a retired foreign-area officer. Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics and vice president for government relations at the University of Utah, moderated the event. Why it matters: panelists said military institutions create repeating ethical signals — oaths, core values and accountability systems — that produce predictable behavior…