Among the challenges faced by the Unites States Military today, none are more common than the task of giving troops the knowledge needed to balance loyalty to their peers and loyalty to a unit or organization. This is not strictly a military issue however with the special focus that society places on the military, members are held to a higher ethical standard when it comes to placing loyalty and "doing the right thing". This becomes an important ethical dilemma because of the difficult decision whether to follow the rules and turn in a peer, or just turn a blind eye because "it couldn't possibly hurt anyone". If situations such as these are examined from a critical perspective, it would not be difficult to immediately pursue punishments as …show more content…
Failure to follow this hierarchy represents a misunderstanding of military principles and opens the door for a lack of good order and discipline. From boot camp, military values are instilled in recruits and their ability to buy into the military system is tested. The realization that they are constantly expected to uphold the standard is forced upon them from day one. Part of this standard is the hierarchy of loyalties which all service members must abide by. Where confusion often occurs is when members rearrange these loyalties to fit their own personal needs rather than the needs of the service. The concept of doing one's duty in the military is not a foreign one to any service member. Despite this, many find it to be a difficult one to act upon when confronted with a dilemma. The easy way is often chosen over the correct way and corners are usually cut. This concept of cheating the system goes against military formality and is in no circumstance allowable. While it is easy to miss a violation of these hierarchy of loyalties, they occur every day in forms that are not easily recognizable. A military professional needs to recognize these circumstances and make a decision which is professionally sound and in accordance with the hierarchy of …show more content…
According to Mill, individual rights should be guaranteed, and these rights should only be restricted when an action could harm another. The dilemma of the Marine on duty is: should he report the incident, or let it slip? Is the action of the underage Marine actually hurting anyone else? Mill states that, "The moral rules which forbid mankind to hurt one another are more vital to human well-being than any maxims, however important." (Mill, Utilitarianism, 132) Under this thinking, it would be reasonable for the sentry to allow the underage Marine pass with the alcohol; it is impermissible to take the alcohol and report the incident as it would harm the Marine's career and therefore the Marine himself. This action however is NOT justified or allowed according to the hierarchy of loyalties. According the Marine Corps doctrine (and even general orders), it is the duty of the individual Marine to report all incidents which occur within sight or hearing when the Marine is on post. This is backed by the hierarchy of loyalties, which state that the mission (in this case, the duties of the sentry) comes before the convenience or friendship bound between these two Marines. This course of action is also more in line with what Burke believed, where liberty
While loyalty is key it is important to keep our military safe. The army finds many ways to educate its member on safety there is one rule that does that better than any of them “See something say something.” It is a simple phrase the military uses to protect our troops and nation from terroristic attacks by spreading the word. This is an easy concept to understand, but would shatter and break if it wasn’t for loyalty to help and sow this phrase together. By increasing these key habits such as loyalty soldiers would feel more incline to speak up when they see things that violate these
Second, the Army is governed by two related ethos. On the first day of initial training Soldiers are taught the importance of the seven Army values and begin to memorize the Soldier’s Creed. Like doctors and lawyers, “the military is an expert group, charged by its client to conduct work governed by a professional ethic” according to Lieutenant General Robert Caslen. A recent study commissioned by the Army found that 93% of Soldiers share their personal with the one set by the Army. Again, according to Caslen “the Army Values have sustained our institution through some of our most difficult years and will continue to be the foundation of our profession.”
A leader unwilling to sacrifice individual goals for the good of the unit cannot convince other unit members to do so. The mission suffers with potentially devastating effects. While personal goals often coincide with Army goals, there is no room for personal agendas at the expense of the institution or the American people. It is a standard in the hierarchy of military customs and courtesies that the leader must display to his subordinates that he is willing to put in extra effort, sacrifice personal time, and show initiative and motivation in order to achieve the same from his Soldiers.
Everyday, people are forced to face with vicious circle of decisions: whether to stick to their morals or obey the authority figure. But it’s a fact that people have a propensity to obey authority, more than to preserve their own morals. A Few Good Men is a film that illustrates the struggle every marine faces-- to follow orders, good or bad. But why would marines follow the orders without hesitation if that order questions the principles they live by? Because the orders in the navy are meant to follow all for the reason of making everyone in Navy into good marines and to be strong enough to defend the nation. It required unquestioning commitment and obedience to orders. The articles, “The Perils of Obedience” by Stanley Milgram and “The
Bear true faith and allegiance in the correct order to the Constitution, the Army, and the organization.
The Army is a way of life; a culture designed to understand, embrace, and demonstrate its understanding. Throughout the entire existence of the Army its culture has been based on elements such as oaths, creeds, the Warrior Ethos and the Army Values. The elements of the Army’s culture are the basis for ethical conduct. Soldiers have been taught to uphold and live by the Army Values but they have not necessarily been taught to remain a professional while upholding these standards. By instilling ethical and moral value into the professional soldier the military is ensuring that all soldiers, even lower level soldiers, are able to make complex and tactical decisions for a strategic effect. If the Army has unethical soldiers they risk failure. Failure due to unethical soldiers can have strategically far reaching implications for the Army, our client nation, and international allies.
The fact that mobilizations have increased so fast causes employers, especially small business, a hard time meeting the requirements associated with federal laws and maintaining profitability for their investors and worker stability for their other employees. Soldiers also have a hard time with their finical stability, whether from their private businesses or employers. Using the ethical lenses of Rules, Outcomes, and Virtues, Reserve Sergeants Major can help answer ethical challenges related to mobilizing Reserve Soldiers and the impacts they cause on Soldiers and their employers.
Violation of any order or rule is the same as saying you don’t care about your career or the NCO’s, SCNO’s, and Officiors that are over you sticking their necks out for you daily. That you’d rather do you than help your fellow Marines. And that doing the “fun” thing is a higher priority to you then doing the right thing. We were all taught 14 leadership traits. The first one is Bearing. Always know what you're doing and how it could affect you and the others around you. Making the right decision even when you’re put on the spot. The second is Courage. Having the balls to stand up for the right thing. Going further and working harder than you have ever done before just because pushing yourself to max is what is going to show all others that look at you that you care about your career and all the others around you. The third is Decisiveness. Determining within yourself that you will do something and stick to it. Whether it be work on qualifications or just making changes in anything you do. Decisiveness is what determines your ability in everything you do. The fourth is Dependability. If everyone knows that if you say you're going to be somewhere on time your going to be there early. Being that person that anyone can call no matter the time and know you’ll be there. The fifth is endurance. Pushing through all pain and hardships to be the leader that others will follow. The sixth is
Every organization, both large and small, will typically have a well-defined set of values that they wish to espouse. This is the template for a successful, trained work force. These values will guide individuals during the decision-making processes that they will encounter. This blue print helps to ensure the integrity of the company and the individual, as well. Our Army today is no different. We can find our values and creeds everywhere we turn. One quick trip to a company or battalion headquarters will yield all the information a Soldier ever needs to assist them in making ethical choices. We hang posters touting the seven Army values on every wall. Units will prominently display the
We all make bad decisions. Yet our society tends to turn careers, personal lives, mistakes and misunderstandings, and everything else into media entertainment. We must turn them into teachable moments in our Marines’ development of character less we be disappointed in the character that takes command in moments of crucial choices for these Marines. I think of character in terms of its doctrinal meaning as "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of a person. In the context of the profession of arms, it entails moral and ethical adherence to our values. Character is the heart of the relationship of the profession with the American people, and to each other." This entails more than just espousing our Corps' values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment as a bumper sticker slogan. It means internalizing these values into the rubric of our daily lives and developing a better appreciation for the distinction in morals, ethics, and laws. This applies to both personal actions and to official actions. While somewhat debated in distinction, morality, ethics, and law relate to each other and our Marines need to understand how as they develop their
Combating in modern warfare does not simply mean killing the enemy. There are ethical rules and standards of behavior that soldiers must strictly follow because these rules are essential for defeating the enemy, winning "hearts and minds" of potential allies, and maintain the morale of the troops. These tasks have become especially challenging in the face of the proliferation of guerilla warfare that has been adopted by weaker military forces in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. In fighting insurgencies, abiding by the ethical standards of the Army behavior may be even harder than in fighting conventional battles. The ethical rules may sometimes put the soldiers in dangerous positions. Disregarding the acceptable standards of behavior, however, may have even graver consequences, putting innocent non-combatants at risk and risking total demoralization of the Army unit participating in disorderly behavior. It is therefore essential that Army leaders maintain an ethical command climate during the war.
Military personnel operating in combat missions must maintain mental and situational awareness of their area of operations. This includes a complete understanding of their physical and doctrinal training. Besides accomplishing their mission, soldiers must also consider the rules of engagement and the personal and professional ethics, values and morals that factor into their decisions in high stress environments (Allen, 2013). Well planned missions will never be executed perfectly. Due to human nature, soldiers may be faced with an ethical dilemma.
Is our military’s moral compass pointing in the wrong direction effecting ethically poor decision making for mission success? There is a continuous conversation and debate concerning ethics in our military due to unforeseen recent events involving ethics. Strong moral principles are becoming the focus of career advancement not only in the military, but in civilian jobs as well. We as Americans witness poor ethical decision making often by individuals who we have appointed to a position of public service, and these ethical “line crossers” hold some of the most prestigious titles our country has to offer. The majority of American people are tired of seeing poor ethical decision-making. Chaplain Samuel Maloney suggests that change in this unfortunate
When we were younger we were always told by our parents to behave and follow the rules in school and to be nice to the other children. At school they had a set of rules that we were meant to follow and abide by them. Here in the Marine Corps is no different there are many rules and regulations that are meant to be followed under the UCMJ Articles. It’s important to keep following the orders you are given and that you follow these rules exactly like you are ordered to do so. In this essay I will be talking about the following: Disobeying an Order, Disrespect, Discipline, Chain of Command, Unauthorized Absence, and Leadership Principles and Leadership Traits. I will try my best’s efforts to explain everything and show what I have learned in
Military ethics encompass a wide range of things. In the contemporary world, military ethics include all facets of military behavior, from issuing regular reviews on juniors to relations of those in the military with civilians to matters related to war. Currently, the world has witnessed technological advancements in various sectors including the military. Indeed, battles between different nations have become dominated by highly advanced weaponry especially when developed nations are involved. It is these developments that have raised concerns over the use of highly sophisticated and deadly weapons. Military ethics dictate how certain weapons should be used and circumstances under which the military can use lethal force. Different nations