Common ethical principles and practices foR NDIA membership.

• Position: ETHICSCORNER

NDIA members should aspire to the following ethical principles and make every effort to implement the following practices:

* Advance national security by promoting trust among the defense industry, our government customers, the U.S. public and our men and women in uniform.

* Strengthen the integrity of a federal procurement system that encourages competition, rewards technical innovation and ensures that American fighters have the decisive advantage on the battlefield and wherever else our nation's enemies may be found.

* Operate our businesses from a foundation of ethical readiness where economic pursuits do not overtake our responsibility to our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, while acknowledging that America's technological and military preeminence are sustained by promoting the financial health of the defense sector.

* Contribute to the common good of our industry and promote industry ethics whenever and wherever possible by sharing best practices in ethics and business conduct among NDIA members and including ethics training in NDIA sponsored events.

* Implement effective ethics programs for company activities at home or abroad. When contemplating any international sale to a governmental or quasi-governmental buyer, it is imperative that effective measures be undertaken to ensure full compliance, not only with the letter, but also the spirit of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as amended, and the FCPA's bar against improper payments to foreign officials.

* Establish effective mechanisms of control over employees and agents operating overseas to promote ethical conduct based upon principles, in addition to full compliance with local and international law.

* Protect U.S. national security when performing contracts with foreign parties by committing to compliance with U.S. export control licensing regimes, and with all anti-boycott and embargo requirements.

* Establish corporate integrity as a business asset, rather than a requirement to satisfy regulators, by making ethics compliance integral to all aspects of corporate life and culture, including employee appraisals and promotions, to foster an environment where employees aspire to do the right thing.

* Recognize that...