Demystifying Whistleblowing in the Armed Forces

EUROMIL, in collaboration with the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN), published a report on ‘Demystifying Whistleblowing in the Armed Forces’. The report is the result of the seminar held as a side event to the Eleventh International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces. The seminar brought together whistleblowerprotection experts on whistleblowing law and practice.

The report aims at sharing and supporting the developing best practices of ombuds and other accountable bodies handling whistleblower disclosures in the armed forces. Therefore, it addresses questions and concerns raised by military ombuds institutions on whistleblowing and how to handle public interest disclosures in the defence sector. It clarifies the role whistleblowing plays in promoting ethics and preventing wrongdoing and harm within the security sector, as well as reviewing current trends in legal protections around the world and identifying good practices for ombuds institutions in handling whistleblowing disclosures and protecting whistleblowers.

The report sets out an overview of the role of Ombuds institutions, including a Question-and-Answer Guide about concerns raised during the seminar, ranging from general questions to best practice ones.

WIN and EUROMIL remain committed to strengthening the whistleblower rights of military personnel and of institutional and national legal systems which promote and protect the disclosure of public interest information in the security and defence sectors.

The report can be found here.