Military Scandals Prompt Renewed Focus on Ethics

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is ordering his commanders to put greater emphasis on developing moral character in America's Armed Forces.

The move comes after a rash of scandals surfaced across several branches of the military.

This week, the Navy announced it's investigating allegations that 30 senior sailors in its nuclear training program cheated on a qualification exam.

Last month, the Air Force revealed that more than 100 officers in the nation's nuclear-missile corp have been implicated in a cheating scandal.

Now officials are investigating hundreds of National Guard recruiters who allegedly received illegal recruiting bonuses, cheating the government out of $30 million.

Hagel wants the service chiefs to dig deep and find out if there is a widespread deficiency of character in the Armed Forces.

"This issue has his full attention, and it's fair to say that he's deeply troubled by it," Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

"He's concerned about the health of the force and the health of the strong culture of accountability and responsibility that Americans have come to expect from their military," he said.