Rand Beers Quotes

The tradition of our Navy mandates that senior officials bear the ultimate responsibility for their command.

We need to fix this. It hasn't been done yet because there's still a reluctance to admit that there was even a problem - anywhere above seven rogue soldiers who got out of control on the night shift.

I am a combat leader. As such I am responsible for everything that is done in my unit. I just wish that our civilian leaders would accept the same kind of responsibility.

If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame.

My father volunteered in early 1941, before Pearl Harbor, and became an officer in the U.S. Navy. As I was growing up, he taught me the responsibility of command: A leader is ultimately responsible for every aspect of the welfare of people under his or her care. That was a deeply felt obligation in his generation.

The way the Army does things is sometimes a little strange.

Of course, I think it is legitimate for the Commander-in-Chief to be concerned for the safety of his soldiers.

In the Marine Corps, your buddy is not only your classmate or fellow officer, but he is also the Marine under your command. If you don't prepare yourself to properly train him, lead him, and support him on the battlefield, then you're going to let him down. That is unforgivable in the Marine Corps.

There's no doubt in my mind that whichever commander ordered the blowing up of Kamisiyah did so in following the instructions that he had received.

It is absolutely bedrock to the British Army's philosophy that a commanding officer is responsible for what goes on within his command.

I had 16 other prisons that I needed to pay attention to, and we did. And I had 3,400 soldiers who were depending on me to take care of them, and I did.

When I lost my rifle, the Army charged me 85 dollars. That is why in the Navy the Captain goes down with the ship.

While people out there on the spot certainly have to be held accountable for what they've done personally, the chain of command responsibility for this strikes me as just as important and should be dealt with.

I don't know anyone at the highest levels who approved Abu Ghraib. If President Barack Obama for a moment thought that somebody at a high level had approved it, he would go after them.

When I wear the hat of management, it is important that our management behaves and conducts as management accountable to the board.

Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.

I have always told my subordinates that when they commit any mistakes, the blame must be laid on the superior officers.

It is not the business of generals to shoot one another.

When Corporate America finds a Jayson Blair in its midst, the standard operating procedure is to circle the wagons and deny that any form of liability extends up the chain of command.

I will have no criticism of my administration from you or any other officer of the Army.

A President must always be given credit for all his administration's successes and the final blame for the failures.

No matter how lofty you are in your department, the responsibility for what your lowliest assistant is doing is yours.

As a soldier, I know that the commander is responsible for every man and every thing. The words "I apologize" may sound banal. But I cannot find any other words.

Lack of accountability in any decision making structure is not tolerable.

When things don't go well they like to blame the Presidents, and that is one of the things that President's are paid for.