Seducing and Suborning the U.S. Navy Profession of Arms

Author

• Robert P. Gonzales, University of San DiegoFollow

Date of Award

2026-03-19

Degree Name

PhD Leadership Studies

Dissertation Committee

Fred J. Galloway, EdD, Chair; Afsaneh Nahavandi, PhD, Member; Robert Muth, JD, Member

Keywords

U.S. Navy, GDMA, Leonard Francis, Fat Leonard, case study, systems thinking, organizational malfunction, institution, institutional malfunction, profession, professionalism, ethics, group collusion, criminal capital, military, military culture

Abstract

The U.S. Navy Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) scandal, also called the Fat Leonard scandal, was the worst scandal in U.S. Navy history and involved admirals, officers, enlisted members, and civilians engaged in unmistakable and visible unethical gift misconduct and inappropriate contractor relationships. The scandal began in the 1990s and, despite the involvement of hundreds of U.S. Navy members across many commands, was not discovered until 2013. Hidden was a conspiracy of bribery, graft, disclosure of classified ship schedules, and millions of dollars of contract fraud. The misconduct ensnared many, including dozens of U.S. federal convictions and hundreds of U.S. Navy disciplinary actions. Composed of individuals, also publicly humiliated, was the organization, the U.S. Navy.

This qualitative case study of the scandal focused on the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet staff and associated commands from 2006 to 2009 and relied on interviews, observations, and document analysis, with an autoethnographic component. A systems thinking framework avoided simplistic cause-and-effect explanations to understand the scandal holistically. The research sought to understand how staff members exposed to the flame—illicit activity—were either drawn into it or turned away and the tacit bargain that led those aware of the flame to refrain from seeking to extinguish it or expose the illicit activity.

This study explored organizational malfunction, ethical misconduct, and group collusion, and discovered a culture of unethical perks and the myth of Leonard Francis. Ethics rules were known, yet the organization tolerated unethical misconduct by many for years and lacked proper ethics oversight. Group collusion included senior, accomplished officers who conspired against organizational goals and to keep the full extent of the misconduct hidden. The myth of Leonard Francis factored considerably, held sway, and beguiled the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy, including some of its best of the best, was seduced and suborned by gifts and a myth. This study informs discussions of an ethical, professional, and self-restraining military and highlights the importance of a profession’s self-regulation of members’ conduct, the impact of a persistent, destructive culture, and the danger of an organization falling for the myth of one man.

The U.S. Navy Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) scandal, also called the Fat Leonard scandal, was the worst scandal in U.S. Navy history and involved admirals, officers, enlisted members, and civilians engaged in unmistakable and visible unethical gift misconduct and inappropriate contractor relationships. The scandal began in the 1990s and, despite the involvement of hundreds of U.S. Navy members across many commands, was not discovered until 2013. Hidden was a conspiracy of bribery, graft, disclosure of classified ship schedules, and millions of dollars of contract fraud. The misconduct ensnared many, including dozens of U.S. federal convictions and hundreds of U.S. Navy disciplinary actions. Composed of individuals, also publicly humiliated, was the organization, the U.S. Navy.

This qualitative case study of the scandal focused on the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet staff and associated commands from 2006 to 2009 and relied on interviews, observations, and document analysis, with an autoethnographic component. A systems thinking framework avoided simplistic cause-and-effect explanations to understand the scandal holistically. The research sought to understand how staff members exposed to the flame—illicit activity—were either drawn into it or turned away and the tacit bargain that led those aware of the flame to refrain from seeking to extinguish it or expose the illicit activity.

This study explored organizational malfunction, ethical misconduct, and group collusion, and discovered a culture of unethical perks and the myth of Leonard Francis. Ethics rules were known, yet the organization tolerated unethical misconduct by many for years and lacked proper ethics oversight. Group collusion included senior, accomplished officers who conspired against organizational goals and to keep the full extent of the misconduct hidden. The myth of Leonard Francis factored considerably, held sway, and beguiled the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy, including some of its best of the best, was seduced and suborned by gifts and a myth. This study informs discussions of an ethical, professional, and self-restraining military and highlights the importance of a profession’s self-regulation of members’ conduct, the impact of a persistent, destructive culture, and the danger of an organization falling for the myth of one man.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Leadership Studies

Digital USD Citation

Gonzales, Robert P., "Seducing and Suborning the U.S. Navy Profession of Arms" (2026). Dissertations. 1110.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1110

Copyright

Copyright held by the author