Keynote Address - Maj. Gen. Christopher Leins

Major General Christopher Leins, special assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff J5 Directorate at the Pentagon, delivered the keynote address and provided an overview of ethical decisions faced by leaders, to include holding up a front-page story in the previous day's Washington Post newspaper that discussed arrests in a U.S. Navy corruption and bribery scandal. "Leaders are expected to be role models, they are expected to be responsible for the ethical development of subordinates, and they are expected to avoid creating ethical dilemmas for subordinates," he said.

Maj. Gen. Leins also provided notable examples of past political leaders who, without being forced, resigned power in order to further the governance of their nations, including Cincinnatus, an ancient Roman states who resigned his dictatorial powers after leading military victories; U.S. General George Washington, who defeated British colonial powers but expressed "abhorrence" when some officers suggested he take over the young government of the United States; and former South African President Nelson Mandela, who stepped down after a single term. "Ethical leaders are ethical all the time, not only when someone is looking," Leins said. "They are also ethical over time, proving again and again that ethics are integral part of intellectual and philosophical framework they use to understand and relate to the world."