Section 110 – Ethics

Question 1

1. Your unit’s CO has an old friend from their first ship coming to town for a visit. The old friend, who now works for Raytheon, wants to take the CO out to dinner. At dinner, the friend offers to pay. Should the CO accept the offer.

a. Yes – CO thanks the friend.
b. No – CO should split the check or pay for the whole meal
c. Maybe – it depends.

Answer 1

b. No – CO should split the check or pay for the whole meal - 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(b)

Question 2

2. The purpose of the friend’s visit to Norfolk is to get feedback on a new weapons system. The unit CO is directed to attend a meeting arranged by the ISIC with other COs from the waterfront. The friend has pastries and coffee in the back of the room

a. Sure, it’s just coffee and pastries! Gifts of $20 or Less
b. Yes, but only if you pay fair value
c. No, there is an appearance of impropriety

Answer 2

a. Sure, it’s just coffee and pastries! Gifts of $20 or Less (5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(a)).

Question 3

Your Strike Group pulls into a foreign port, and you’re directed to attend a reception hosted by the foreign Navy along with Strike Group leadership. When you arrive, you suspect that your husbanding agent is instead hosting the reception. What do you do?

a. Stay at the reception and consume the food/drinks; assume it was approved
b. Leave the reception right away
c. Ask the chain of command about it/call your JAG
d. Find out the fair market value and offer to pay 5 U.S.C. § 7342

Answer 3

d. Find out the fair market value and offer to pay 5 U.S.C. § 7342

Question 4

4. After a smooth port visit with excellent services provided by the Husbanding Service Provider (HSP), you are preparing to get underway. The local HSP representative stops by and asks your XO for a Bravo Zulu letter to recognize their excellent service. What should the JAG advise?
   a. Write the Bravo Zulu letter
   b. Don’t write the letter

Answer 4

b. Don’t write the letter

Question 5

While preparing for an upcoming deployment, your XO brings you an offer from a local coffee company. They love the Navy, and want to donate 300 pounds of coffee to your unit’s CO.

a. Accept the coffee personally and distribute it to the unit’s members – it’s less than $20 per person in coffee.
b. Accept the coffee on behalf of the Navy and distribute it to the unit.
c. Reject the coffee.
d. Take possession of the coffee and route it to the proper acceptance authority based on the market value of the gift. 10 U.S.C. § 2601 (b):

Answer 5

Take possession of the coffee and route it to the proper acceptance authority based on the market value of the gift.

Question 6

The coffee company asks for photos of unit members enjoying the coffee. What do you do?

a. Send the photo with a thank you note from the proper acceptance authority.
b. Don’t send the photo; send a thank you note from the proper acceptance authority.

Answer 6

b. Don’t send the photo; send a thank you note from the proper acceptance authority.

Question 7

Your CO successfully made it to the change of command ceremony, and the crew presents you with a beautiful model of the ship. May the CO accept?

a. Yes – assume it costs under $300-Group gifts on special infrequent occasions are limited to $300 in value per donating group. (5 C.F.R. § 3601.104(a))
b. No – it is over the $10 subordinate gift-giving exception
c. Maybe – you ask your XO how much is it worth?

Answer 7

a. Yes – assume it costs under $300-Group gifts on special infrequent occasions are limited to $300 in value per donating group

Question 8

Your CO is an avid golfer, so CMC comes up with an excellent gift idea: Wardroom buys the $300 irons
Chiefs’ mess buys the $300 woods First Class Petty Officers buy the $250 golf bag What Should You Do?

a. Permissible to accept each gift – they are $300 or below
b. Pay $550 towards the $850 set of clubs – accepted gift is $300
c. Reject the gift Group gifts on special infrequent occasions are limited to $300 in value per donating group.

Answer 8

c. Reject the gift Group gifts on special infrequent occasions are limited to $300 in value per donating group. (5 C.F.R. § 3601.104(a))

Question 9

Before the command holiday party, the MWR committee distributes a raffle ticket to every member of the command. At the party, you pull a ticket out of a hat and the winner gets a new TV. The TV was purchased with money raised from breakfast burrito sales throughout the year. Is this gambling?

a. Yes
b. No

Answer 9

No

Question 10

You are assigned TAD to a two-week course in Newport, government-funded rental car authorized, with a weekend in between. You are invited by family friends to visit them in Maine to go hiking that Saturday.
a. Only official business (to and from work)
b. Official business plus necessities such as groceries (Joint Travel Regulations
c. Driving to Maine as long as you pay for gas yourself

Answer 10

b. Official business plus necessities such as groceries (Joint Travel Regulations; JTR 010104